It was 1996. The Giants had just finished 5-11. There were four “locks.” We knew who they were. These were players with high confidence they would be blue chip players with high floors and potentially fantastic ceilings. The problem was, the Giants were picking 5th. Worse, their GM (whom we otherwise revered) did not trade. So we needed one of the boob franchises who picked ahead of the Gmen to screw up and take Lawrence Phillips, the boom or bust RB with red flags and a world of talent. Hey, it was the Arizona Cardinals picking third. They could surely screw this up. 1st player, Keyshawn Johnson, a protypical X WR, taken by the Jets. Second, Kevin Hardy, the first of bookend Ilinois LBers taken by Jacksonville. Coughlin didn’t screw that up. Next was AZ. Come on Phillips! Cmon Phillips. Ooof. They take the other bookend Illini OLB/EDGE, Simeon Rice. Ozzie Newsome was the new GM of Baltimore. Could he take Phillips? In hindsight we would know that Newsome would not screw up a guy like Left Tackle Jonathan Ogden, whom Wonder actually played pickup basketball against. “A human tree trunk. Tall and thick.” The Giants were odd man out. Picking #5, they took Cedric Jones, and Phillips went 6th.
It was stunning to see that 1.01-1.04 would start 11, 9, 11, and 12 seasons in the NFL, with 6 All Pros and 18 Pro Bowls between them. All 4 were reliable/franchise players. 3 would win Super Bowls. 1 would go on to the HOF. Cedric Jones had 2 seasons as a starter and was a bust. Of course you trade down (much later on in Round 1 there were 2 HOFers, Marvin Harrison and Ray Lewis). But good luck trading down when you are odd man out. This is a “cliff” event.
And so we have another cliff event in this year’s 2025 Draft. Ward, Hunter and Carter are acknowledged as premier picks. Many draft analysts would have had Ward as the 4th best QB behind Drake Maye in last year’s draft. Ward is not a perfect prospect. Yet he is a QB, and for that positional value, he is well regarded as a Top 3 pick. Hunter and Carter are projected as All Pro prospects. We preach QB (Ward), Protect QB, and Rush the QB (Carter). Under this theory, why should the Gmen take Hunter, who is the “out” when “building a franchise from the inside (trenches+QB) out”? The answer is simple…
Travis Hunter is a 2 for 1 sale.
I know everyone is skeptical that a 2-way college player can play both Defense and Offense in the NFL. I took it with a grain of salt too. But when I started watching his film, and the level of ability on BOTH sides of the ball, I knew that a good team would be able to leverage this. This player has broken the mold. I cannot recall, in my entire life of watching football, a player who could legitimately be a dual threat. Until Travis Hunter.
You must be willing to admit that the rules do not apply here, Part 1. Hunter is a unique situation. This NY Giants blog does not like drafting WR in Round 1. Build your team from the inside out, not outside in. Last season, we said that if the Giants were not going to trade down from 1.06 (when they could not move up for a QB), that WR Malik Nabers was the pick. Why? Because he was clearly the best player available, and a player with sky high limitless potential… the best WR in the draft. Indeed, his rookie season started in OTAs when we knew in May he was already a moonshot. By July it was over. He was a star, with no one able to cover him in practice. Ever. That continued straight into the regular season. Despite QB incompetence, an OL that imploded when Thomas got hurt, 2 games lost to concussion, and a few smaller injuries, Nabers still lit it up for 1200 yards.
You must be willing to admit that the rules do not apply to a unique situation, Part 2. This time, in 2025, you have Travis Hunter, the two way player. CB. WR. CB-WR. What makes it crazy is how good he is at each position. Elite WR. Elite CB. Analysts believe that he can still play ~90% of the snaps at CB, and ~40-50-60% of the snaps at WR. You are literally getting 1.5X to 2X the player. The fact that people are debating where he can be used shows just how much range this player has.
What is the risk? Logically, Hunter’s body may not be able to take the stress of so many additional snaps in the NFL. Injury likelihood has to rise with more snaps. If it does, you still throttle him back to a one-way All Pro. And maybe if you make the playoffs, you go full throttle and get 2 full elite players for the price of 1. Hell, if he makes the Super Bowl, when there is a 30 minute break, you can get double elite play again.
How can this player learn two positions on different sides of the ball? How can he attend offensive and defensive meetings? Big Blue Banter answers that question… he is very smart and picks up the playbook super fast.
Wonder comments… “If CLE makes the mistake of passing on Hunter, do not walk, RUN to the podium and take Hunter. I 1000% agree with your analysis and I would take him #1 if QB not in play.”
What if CLE takes Hunter? Then take EDGE Abdul Carter. Carter fits the bill for QB/Protect QB/Rush the QB. He has incredible pass rushing skills, can peel back into coverage, can close on RBs from the back side, and has one trait that makes him very special for my purposes as a Giants fan…. it is the NFC East, and we have likely inherited QB Jayden Daniels for the next 10-15 years. Carter can be the antidote to Daniels’ evasiveness. Carter has the elite skills to spy, contain, and apprehend Daniels. When you think about Burns, Lawrence, and Carter all pass rushing the QB together, with Thibodeaux in a prove-it year, that is scary for any Offensive Coordinator.
Ward will go 1.01. Take Hunter if he is there at 1.03. Take Carter if he is there at 1.03. Whoever the Browns take, take the other guy. Do not, I repeat, do not take Shadeur Sanders. He will be overdrafted. Remember, 6 years ago, we said Jones was overdrafted on the NIGHT of the draft when he was selected. Sanders will be overdrafted if he is taken 1.03. Wonder is a little more blunt- HELL NO.
Dan Schneier of BBB (paraphrased) succinctly explains why you do not take Sanders: His ceiling is good, not great, so why do I burn the 1.03 opportunity cost on that upside when I can get that in free agency?
Keep this simple. Hunter or Carter.
UltimateNYG blog regulars are asking- what about trading down? The answer returns to the beginning of this post- this draft is a Cliff event. If we had 1.04 I would be (pissing vinegar and) lamenting at how we are once again on the outside looking in. Yes, if I had the 1.04 pick, I would be desperate DESPERATE to trade the F out of there and even trade out of Round 1 entirely. That is how big the cliff is from Ward (for a team needing a QB), Hunter, and Carter. Is it possible that 1.04 goes to the HOF and Ward, Hunter, and Carter are middling pros? Anything is possible. Right now, keep it simple, and take any of those 3. And let the Patriots worry about what to do with 1.04.