Heading into the 2025 NFL Draft, the New England Patriots likely have two players at the top of their draft boards. Those are Penn State edge rusher Abdul Carter and Colorado wide receiver and cornerback Travis Hunter.

Heading into the Colorado Pro Day, the Patriots and plenty of the top teams in the NFL Draft sent personnel to watch Hunter and Sheduer Sanders perform. The contingent the Patriots sent might point towards a decision being made on Hunter to the Patriots.

According to Albert Breer, senior NFL reporter for The MMQB of Sports Illustrated, the Patriots sent vice president of player personnel Ryan Cowden to the Colorado Pro Day.

The Patriots contingent at the Colorado Pro Day is significantly smaller than the three teams picking ahead of the Patriots, all of which traveled with large groups to watch Hunter and Sanders.

Sending just one personnel member to the Colorado Pro Day is a sign the Patriots made up their mind when it comes to Hunter. The small contingent suggests the Patriots believe that Hunter won’t make it to pick four.

The teams picking ahead of the Patriots, namely the New York Giants and the Cleveland Browns, have sent large contingents of personnel to watch Hunter and Sanders. With both teams expressing their interest in the Colorado Heisman winner, the Patriots’ odds of landing Hunter at fourth overall are bleak.

Hunter would be at the top of the Patriots’ draft board, as they need both another cornerback and a wide receiver. However, only sending the VP of player personnel indicates the Patriots aren’t optimistic about Hunter making it to fourth overall.

There will likely be plenty of other options on the table for the Patriots, whether it’s Will Campbell, Armand Membou, or a trade-down. But, their lack of strong presence at the Colorado Pro Day indicates they made a decision on Hunter’s availability, and have allocated resources elsewhere.

While the Patriots will hold out hope that he miraculously falls to fourth overall, the Patriots have seemingly decided they are out of the Hunter sweepstakes. Not due to a lack of interest, but rather the teams ahead of them steadfast in their interest in selecting the two-way star.