Travis Hunter
“They want to see how much I can handle, and it’s up to me at this point,” Hunter told The Associated Press on Thursday. “It’s just me being me. To be honest, I think I just need to see if my body will allow me to take all of this and continue to take all of this. But I do a lot of treatment, so I’m able to keep up with my body and with what I need for my body.”
- Ian Rapoport points out that if the Browns do draft Hunter, he may make strides at wide receiver, given that he hasn’t fully put his focus on the position.
- Rapoport adds that Hunter will not be a shutdown cornerback, but is a “unicorn” as a prospect, and while most teams like him, it is unclear how he will transition to the NFL and if he can be an every-down player like he believes he can be.
Browns
- The Browns could be in position to take WR/CB Travis Hunter at No. 2 overall in the 2025 NFL Draft. GM Andrew Berry was asked about the possible physical toll Hunter could take in the NFL, responding: “There certainly is more of that risk. With that said, playing on perimeter has less contact than closer to the ball.” (Tony Grossi)
- Berry praised Hunter’s physical condition and said they wouldn’t limit him to just one position: “One thing you can’t fully appreciate until you see Travis play live is his elite conditioning. What he would attempt to do hasn’t been done in our league but we wouldn’t put a cap on what he could do…be smart about where you start him out.” (Zac Jackson)
- Berry added they consider Hunter to be a “receiver first,” per Scott Petrak.
- As for the possibility of them taking Colorado QB Shedeur Sanders, Berry said, “All options are still on the table.” (Mary Kay Cabot)
- Berry mentioned that having Joe Flacco won’t impact their approach at quarterback in the draft, via Cabot.
- Berry added they plan on having competition for the starting quarterback role: “Whatever the QB room looks like in training camp, all those individuals will have the chance to compete to be the starter.” (Zac Jackson)
- As for DE Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah‘s neck injury, Berry said his timeline of recovery is still unclear: “JOK’s timeline is a bit nebulous. He is progressing.” (Tony Grossi)
- Browns OLB Julian Okwara‘s one-year, $1,337,500 deal includes a $40,000 signing bonus, $200,000 of his $1,170,000 base salary is guaranteed, and up to $127,500 in per-game roster bonuses. (OverTheCap)
Ravens
Ravens HC John Harbaugh spoke about the team adding CB Chidobe Awuzie and forming a strong trio with cornerbacks Marlon Humphrey and Nate Wiggins.
“I love Marlon anywhere,” Harbaugh said, via the team website. “I like him on the field, but I do like him inside. He’s a game changer in there. Nobody plays like Marlon. There’s no nickel who plays the way Marlon plays in the slot. He can play outside with the best of them, but I don’t think there’s anybody like Marlon in the slot.”
“We got ‘Chido’ [Awuzie], and that was a huge signing for us. He’s been one of the highest-ranked corners when he’s been healthy,” Harbaugh added. “So, our goal is to get him back out there, get him healthy, really work with all the soft tissue stuff, and try to do the best we can to bring him back to where he [gets to] his high level of play, so he should help us. Then we have T.J. Tampa [Jr.] in the mix. I think T.J. is going to take a big step. Health is big for him, too. And then, Jalyn Armour-Davis is another guy with the health. So, Jalyn has always been talented, and he’s always played well when he has been out there. So, those are all the guys in the conversation. … We could definitely add a guy in the draft, too.”
Harbaugh also said he thinks the best is yet to come for LT Ronnie Stanley, who opted to stay with the team in free agency.
“I expect Ronnie to even continue to ascend – not just back to where he was pre-injury, but past that now,” Harbaugh mentioned. “And I just love his mindset, his maturity, his work ethic, his determination to be a legacy-type player. I think that’s really what he wants to accomplish right now, and that’s really important for our team.”
“I feel good about the O-line right now, today. Like I said, we could play with five starters,” Harbaugh continued. “We have competition even there, but we can use a couple more guys, too. And we’ll be looking to bolster the depth but also bolster the competition in the O-line. But bringing Ronnie back was a huge part of that. We couldn’t say that if Ronnie wasn’t coming back. If Ronnie had decided to go elsewhere, we would’ve had to have addressed that in a big way.”
Harbaugh shared that he plans for LB Trenton Simpson to be the starter again in Year 3.
“Trenton Simpson, I expect him to be the starting early-down WILL [linebacker],” Harbaugh said. “We do a lot on passing downs with dime [packages] and different kinds of personnel groups in the field. He can continue to grow into that. I think he’s going to take a big step this year. I remember Patrick Queen took a big step in his third year, as well, so that would probably be our expectation. He’s working hard. He’s already in the building every single day, he’s watching film on his own, he’s in phenomenal shape.”
“I feel great about the linebacker position,” Harbaugh told reporters. “I think we do need some guys. I mean, we lost a bunch of guys, so we’ve got to replace those guys. I think we’ve got some good young guys coming up. William Kwenkeu, nobody knows about him, but he played two games last year. I’m kind of excited [about] him as a special teams guy and a growing, developing linebacker.”
As for RB Keaton Mitchell, Harbaugh said that he is on track to return heading into training camp.
“I do think [Mitchell] has been on schedule, he’s been on track,” Harbaugh said. “That was a really tough injury. So, the fact that he got back when he did was, to me, almost miraculous that he was out there playing at all. I’m almost certain, as much as you can be sure, he’s going to be [on] a whole other level coming back in the spring and then again into training camp, because he is going to be a year and a half out of that deal.”
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