Making the case: Travis Hunter or Abdul Carter?

The New York Giants are in an advantageous position with the third overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. The Tennessee Titans hold the first pick in the draft, and odds suggest that Miami quarterback Cam Ward will find a home in Nashville, leaving one of Colorado phenom Travis Hunter and Penn State edge Abdul Carter as possible selections for the Giants at three.

Of course, Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders is also in the conversation for New York. Nevertheless, the Giants may forgo selecting Sanders in the first round and possibly add one of two blue-chip prospects.

Drafting Abdul Carter would arguably give New York the best pass rush in the NFL. Brian Burns and Carter are screaming off the edge, Dexter Lawrence pushing the pocket, and Kayvon Thibodeaux inside as a NASCAR rusher, which is just one of many unique and dangerous combinations at Bowen’s disposal.

Micah Parsons did attend Penn State and wore number 11, but the comparisons are still apt, albeit lofty. Bowen’s simulated pressure package of four rushers — coupled with his twist game — would strike fear into the souls of every offensive line coach. Carter and Burns are plenty fluid enough to navigate space. The options are endless.

Then there’s Travis Hunter — an A+ character kid with All-Pro upside at cornerback and wide receiver. Few players possess Hunter’s overall movement skills. Pairing him with Malik Nabers — even if in limited offensive packages — would give Brian Daboll’s offense immense upside. Hunter could also quickly develop into the Giants’ cornerback one if Tae Banks’ development declines.

Here are my scouting reports on both players:

Abdul Carter

Strengths

• Chiseled elite athlete with rare suddenness and explosiveness
• Rare agility and change of direction – gets very low into his rush
• Insane acceleration – smooth!
• Avoids contact well – is like NEO from the Matrix when rushing
• Urgent, Urgent, Urgent mover
• Amazing bend/control to contort his body while cornering up the arc
• Quick feet set OL up for failure – understands how to set OL up
• Can get very low with his rush – knee scraping the deck as he orients his hips into the pocket
• Rare ability to flatten at the top of the arc
• Does an excellent job absorbing contact up the arc
• Elite inside spin move assists his incredible burst up the arc – keeps OT honest
• Very good hand usage to keep distance and separate from OL
• Feet and hands work well together when rushing passer
• Beautiful dip/rip combination to win the edge with elite speed
• Flashed a variety of pass rushing moves
• Good overall play strength with excellent closing burst into contact
• Flashed power rush moves
• Insanely smart and natural pass rusher
• Understands how to angle his body and avoid contact while rushing
• Only played one true year at EDGE – upside is through the roof
• Can play all over the defensive front – was a very good LB in 2022/2023
• Solid overall run defender who still has room to improve (as LB/EDGE)
• Quick backside pursuit – immediate read defender
• Crashes the backside with authority – dangerous unblocked player
• Very aggressive style of play – good force into contact
• Solid coverage player with plenty of movement skills/fluidity to operate zone drops
• Controlled enough to handle man responsibilities if asked
• Very versatile player who can handle several aspects of front seven play
• Has room to grow into his frame
• Just turned 21 years old

Weaknesses

• Seems smaller than his listed size (some speculate he’s sub-235)
• Not the longest edge
• Still a little raw as an edge rusher
• Can run himself out of fit, trying to win up the arc
• Has good overall play strength but it can be thwarted by long/strong and technically sound offensive tackles
• Misses a lot of tackles – 19.1% missed tackle rate in college
• 2023 tape showed mistakes at LB – is not a technically sound run defender at the edge or LB
• Could work on tackling fundamentals to become more secure
• Not a bad run defender but is clearly more of a pass rusher
• Needs more time learning how to anchor vs. the run/recognize rushing schemes
• Deconstructing blocks once engaged in base situations needs to improve vs. the run
• Relies heavily on impressive movement skills to avoid lock up with OTs vs. the run
• Was charged with a misdemeanor for assaulting a tow truck driver in 2024

There are few players in recent NFL drafts who have the type of pass rushing upside as Abdul Carter, which is one of the many reasons why he’s compared to Micah Parsons, among the obvious ones. Carter is an insanely sudden and quick athlete with a NEO like ability to avoid contact and contort his body around the punches of offensive tackles. Carter keeps forward momentum with elite control while exploding up the rushing arc. Few players win high-side like Carter, and even fewer use their feet/hands so well together.

He gets his hips oriented into the pocket so fast and gets so low to avoid contact; when he is contacted, he does a good job staying balanced or angling his body to mitigate the strength of the contact. Carter is DANGEROUS in a phone booth, with a sensational inside spin move and rare speed to win through either shoulder. He also flashes power rush moves, albeit he’s more finesse right now. BUT his finesse is so fantastic, that offensive lineman are more susceptible to the power he does possess, for their ability to frame and engage Carter are hindered by his raw talent.

Carter will be selected as an edge to rush the passer and use his elite physical traits. He does offer value as a linebacker for a creative defensive coordinator; his best utilization as a linebacker is stacked, allowing him to scrape/flow to the football relatively unscathed. His eyes/ability to trigger are accentuated by his elite burst, albeit he’s still wild and did misjudge his path into the backfield as a LB prior to 2024.

I don’t want to say Carter is fool-proof, even though I love his tape and ability. There’s a non-zero chance that Carter may be targeted on early downs and could be exposed against better – more physical – teams in the trenches. On the flip side, he has room to grow into his body, he’s insanely athletic, and he only has one year as an edge. Sure, a defensive coordinator may have to get creative if Carter struggles to consistently defend the run, but his run defense ability in college doesn’t suggest a liability, just not a certainty; and his pass rushing skills are through the roof. It’s something to acknowledge, but not a deal breaker by any means.

If Carter works on his block shedding ability and his eyes to perceive the offensive intentions, along with adding some strength, he will be a massive asset as a run defender; and these are achievable feats considering the traits Carter possesses. There aren’t many players in consideration for the first overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, but Carter is one of them and it’s easy to see why.

Travis Hunter

Strengths

• Solid height with a lean frame that could add weight
• Rare – ELITE – athlete with exceptional balance and control
• Rare change of direction ability and elite fluidity
• Rare twitch and springy nature
• One of the more sudden athletes to play football in college
• Elite speed and acceleration – has multiple gears and routinely ruins the angles of defenders
• Is a home-run threat on every play
• Elite explosiveness and sensational tempo management
• Exceptional foot speed + solid release package
• Quick stacking threat who can ruin a defender’s day in less than a second
• Uses hands and feet well to release and create immediate separation at the LOS
• Excellent micromovements up his stem, followed by deception and elite – smooth – breaks
• Creates extra separation at the break with elite deceptive movements that he employs well
• Easily breaks off routes and can instantaneously orient to quarterback on curls/comebacks
• Very good route runner with ELITE route running potential
• Understands how to attack/manipulate and run away (when necessary) from defensive leverage/positioning
• Quickly eats into the leverage of off-man coverage – forces DBs onto their heel / inspires fear
• Sensational hand-eye coordination allows him to maximize his already impressive reaction skills
• Attacks the football – ALPHA mentality
• Elite soft hands with an excellent ability to extend away from his frame and locate the ball
• Rare body adjustment and leaping ability to high point
• Unreal concentration and tracking ability
• Excels in Jump ball situations
• Acrobatic Catch Trait
• Found ways to defeat bracket coverage in college
• Rare YAC skills – very tough to track down in space
• Rare short-area quickness and body control – along with processing – make him an excellent MEG man coverage cornerback
• Excellent overall man coverage skills – stays in the hip / tough to create separation against
• Spatially aware zone coverage defender with elite click & close ability downhill
• Very good overall zone cornerback
• Can execute any leverage/coverage assignment
• Has upside to be a shutdown No. 1 CB
• Good feet and jam at the LOS
• Exercises excellent space and understands leverage/depth as CB
• Would bait QBs in coverage to throw downfield – KNOWs his strengths
• High level CB and WR instincts
• Good technique as a CB in coverage – improved in 2024
• Strong challenges at the catch point – is a hawk for the football
• Willing tackler who does a solid overall job
• Not the biggest CB but did have reps where he displayed good play strength to physically harass opposing WRs
• Rare conditioning and stamina
• Elite processing and feel for the game on both sides of the football
• Elite competitive toughness and is reportedly an EXCELLENT young man

Weaknesses

• Slightly undersized with a thin frame
• Play strength against bigger – stronger – receivers in the NFL is fair to question
• Solid release package BUT did have reps where he was eliminated by press
• Not a bad blocker – he tries hard but it’s still a work in progress
• Tackling is not a “weakness” but he lacks difference-making POP on contact
• Shedding blocks vs. TEs – when he can’t dip/go around – isn’t elite
• Has missed games in each of his three collegiate seasons – workload issue?
• Not a “weakness” but coaching staff will have to figure out how to best employ his immense talent – again, what a “problem” to have!

Travis Hunter is a rare – smooth – athlete who may be the best corner and wide receiver in this draft class. There are few players with Hunter’s level of athleticism. The Heisman Trophy winner is elite at creating separation through deceptive route running, including, but not limited to, lethal micromovements throughout his stem that lead to cornerback consternation; he also creates separation with his rare acceleration, change of direction, agility, and home-run ability – Hunter possesses multiple gears and understands how to tempo his pace well to manipulate defenders and maximize space. He is a VERY smart player.

Hunter possesses the acrobatic catch trait and routinely showcases his effortless nature to succeed in contested catch situations. He tracks, locates, attacks, and secures tough passes better than most player’s I’ve watched in college football. Hunter is a dangerous YAC player with sudden movements that consistently make defenders miss – had 24 missed tackles forced in 2024 (tied for sixth-most of all wide receivers). Hunter is a threat at each level of the field, he understands how to run routes (still growth areas which are INSANELY high), and he has reliable hands. Hunter’s ceiling as a wide receiver is very high and that doesn’t even touch what he can offer on defense.

His man coverage skills are elite; he’s sticky in coverage with solid press ability and elite fluidity. Hunter understands defensive leverage and space, while possessing the necessary ability to know where/when his teammates will be in a specific spot while executing zone assignments. Inside/outside – off/press, doesn’t matter; Hunter excels in man coverage. He is a very good zone defender as well. While his strength isn’t elite, it’s not a liability and he is a willing tackler who doesn’t miss many opportunities to tackle. He’s not an enforcer on defense and bigger wide receivers could give him issues when they’re blocking him.

Hunter is the most decorated player in a season throughout the history of college football for good reason. The term unicorn or unique is used too frequently into today’s draft discourse, but Hunter certainly fits both descriptions. He’s a rare talent and reportedly a rare individual off the field. Coaching staffs will have to figure out how to best employ his skills while being cognizant of his workload. It will be team dependent, but a full-time corner with a few offensive packages (third down/red zone) seems to make sense. He can immediately and significantly impact both sides of the football for a team, which is basically unforeseen in recent football memory. The sky is his only limit.

Final Thoughts

Abdul Carter or Travis Hunter, which way should the Giants go? I don’t think New York could go wrong with either, and the Cleveland Browns will likely decide for the Giants by taking one of the two off the board. I would be happy with either; however, if I chose, I would take Hunter and start him off on offense. I would work him into defense, but give Tae Banks one more shot to solidify himself as a starter opposite Paulson Adebo.

Ideally, Banks would win that job and Hunter could focus on offense with possible defensive usage in specific packages, which — admittedly — is much harder to do than the other way around. If something happened to Banks or Adebo, Hunter would be cross-trained (if possible) and act as a quick remedy to kick defensively. I wouldn’t typically advocate for this approach, but rave reviews about Hunter’s football intelligence and coachability make me more willing to deviate creatively.

Sanders is still a possibility at three, and it should not be ruled out. Joe Schoen has attended plenty of Colorado games, and a long-term solution at quarterback remains a big need. It’s exciting times for the New York Giants two weeks out from the draft.