Vrabel hints that Hunter would have to focus on one position with Pats

For the Patriots, it would be a good problem to have: Where do you play Travis Hunter?

The dual-threat Heisman Trophy-winner from Colorado might be the best football player in the 2025 NFL Draft. If he's not, he's No. 2, behind Penn State pass-rusher Abdul Carter. Part of Hunter's value is tied to his versatility, where he brings next-level athleticism and ball skills to both the receiver and cornerback positions.

But if Hunter somehow fell to the Patriots with the No. 4 overall pick in this year's draft, it doesn't sound as though Mike Vrabel would be all that keen on asking Hunter to do what he did at Colorado as an almost full-time player at both spots.

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Vrabel said at the annual league meeting Monday that he doesn't want to put any limits on Hunter. But he also indicated that at the NFL level, there is a level of detail that needs to be understood to have success on one side of the ball, never mind two. And there's only so much time in the day.

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"I don't know how anybody could say how hard it would be," Vrabel said when asked about Hunter playing both ways. "We've never seen a player necessarily do it. I think there are some things that he can improve on by probably concentrating more on just one position. But never going to put any restrictions on Travis or any player.

"As much as they can handle, we're gonna continue to put more on their plate. If he were on our football team, and he showed a great skill at one position, and was starting to do really well in his conditioning and it didn't fall off and it didn't drop, we would be open to playing everybody that we had at more than one position. Anything that would help the football team, I would be all in favor of."

Vrabel, of course, saw time on both sides of the ball during his career. A full-time linebacker -- he played both on the line of scrimmage and off -- Vrabel caught 10 passes in his career, all of which went for touchdowns.

Despite heeding the old football adage of "the more you can do," Vrabel explained that a rookie like Hunter would be better off focusing on one spot before expanding his responsibilities.

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"I think to improve, there has to be a primary focus," he said. "Just to be able to get some of the details that are going to be required at this league. We'll see once everybody is on our football team, where they end up playing or where they end up starting out and practicing."

For the Patriots, the greatest value to the team would be in playing Hunter on the offensive side of the ball. And there's plenty of evidence to suggest that he would excel there.

His physical traits make him arguably the most dynamic pass-catcher in the draft. He has the explosive traits to break off long gains on short passes, and on down-the-field targets he has the kind of hands and ball-tracking skills that have receivers coaches drooling over him.

In New England, there are already a pair of high-end starters at cornerback in Christian Gonzalez and Carlton Davis III. Meanwhile, on offense, there is a glaring need for an explosive, playmaking receiver to line up alongside Stefon Diggs, Mack Hollins, DeMario Douglas and anyone else who earns a roster spot at that position come the fall.

If things break right for the Patriots -- they'd likely need two quarterbacks to be taken within the first three picks -- Hunter could be available to them at No. 4. But if he is, it sounds like Vrabel would want him dialed in on one side of the ball before being given a chance to be the do-it-all threat that made him a generational performer at the college level.