Giants LB Bobby Okereke Likes This Draft Prospect for Giants at No. 3

Okereke recently explained why grabbing a generational talent in the first round for the Giants would make more sense in his mind.

Nov 29, 2024; Boulder, Colorado, USA; Colorado Buffaloes wide receiver Travis Hunter (12) before the game against the Oklahoma State Cowboys at Folsom Field. | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

Like everyone else interested in the New York Giants’ immediate future, inside linebacker Bobby Okereke has his opinions on how Big Blue should attack the team’s biggest needs.

Unlike the “draft a quarterback in the first round crowd,” if it were up to Okereke, he’d go in a different direction.

“I think (Colorado cornerback/wide receiver) Travis Hunter is a generational talent,” Okereke told Baker Machado of Front Office Sports. “I don't think you're gonna see another player like him come across in a very long time.”

Okereke, who is making the rounds this week on radio row at the Super Bowl with teammate Kayvon Thibodeaux as an ambassador for Bounty paper products, is so sold on Hunter that he believes Hunter is “worth three if not two or one” in the draft selection order. 

Thibodeaux, however, seemed surprised by his teammate’s opinion and went so far as to question it.

“This is my question,” Thibodeaux said to Okereke. “You're a football connoisseur. You look at guys like–and I'll just make this up–(Jets cornerback) Sauce Gardner, (Texans cornerback) Derrick Stingley, Jr.,  both phenomenal players, both Pro Bowls. 

“But do you think generational at the corner or wide receiver position is more valuable than a great quarterback?”

Okereke wan’t changing his mind. “I think a lockdown corner might be the most pivotal position on the defense besides a pass rusher,” he said, speaking of the appeal of a team having a lock-down cornerback capable of taking the ball away.

Oct 19, 2024; Tucson, Arizona, USA; Colorado Buffalos wide receiver/cornerback Travis Hunter (12) against the Arizona Wildcats at Arizona Stadium. | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Travis Hunter is a Defensive Playmaker

Whoever gets Hunter would certainly be getting that and more. Per Pro Football Focus, of this year’s draft-eligible cornerbacks with at least 270 coverage snaps, Hunter is ranked second behind Jahdae Barron of Texas.

Huner has allowed just 56.1% of the pass targets against him to be complete for 222 yards and had seven pass breakups and four interceptions this past season for a 39.9 coverage rating.

That said, there is some question as to what position Hunter, who also starred as a wide receiver for the Buffaloes, will primarily play when he enters the NFL. 

Hunter reportedly wants to continue playing cornerback and receiver once he gets to the pros. However, given the physical wear and tear playing both sides of the ball would put on him, whether that's a practical goal remains to be seen.

Despite his apparent championing for Hunter and some pushback from Thibodeaux, Okereke is not against the Giants bringing in a new quarterback to a room where only one guy, Tommy DeVito, is currently under contract.

“You gotta assess all the situations. You gotta see how free agency looks. You gotta see how other guys look,” Okereke said.

“(Giants general manager) Joe Schoen and a lot of those guys in the front office are a lot smarter than me,” he continued. 

“But for me, if a generational talent like Travis Hunter is available at three. I'm taking him if I feel I can (get a quarterback) in free agency and in the second round.”

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