The 2025 NFL Draft is shaping up to be one of the more unpredictable ones in recent memory. With QB-needy teams, a wide receiver/cornerback two-way Heisman winner, and generational defensive players leading the pack, it’s anybody’s guess how things will shake out.
However, for one potential No. 1 pick candidate, a harsh reality check came directly from Cam Newton. Newton, a former first overall pick himself, didn’t mince words when explaining to Travis Hunter how harsh walking into a new situation is for No. 1 picks.
Cam Newton Gives Travis Hunter Brutal Truths
As he’s grown in stature in the college football circuit, Hunter has gone step by step in maximizing his popularity. As a result, the “Travis Hunter Show” came to be, a podcast centered around Hunter and the guests he brings in.
When Newton appeared on the show, however, it was with some brutal honesty regarding Hunter’s situation in the league, especially if he was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.
“You’re the top pick for a reason.”
Hunter believed it had to do with his acumen, but Newton had something else in mind. “No, no, no, no. You’re looking at it from a personal situation. I’m talking about it from the professional situation. You’re the top pick because that was the worst team in the NFL the year before.”
He went ahead, explaining his own experience when he came into the league. “For me, I wanted to be the No. 1 pick.” Furthermore, he believed that Hunter, as a wide receiver/ cornerback combo, couldn’t make as substantial an impact.
Cam Newton hopped on Travis Hunters’ show and dropped a GEM about being the #1 pick 💎@TravisHunterJr @CameronNewton pic.twitter.com/oJPsXALOEx
— Overtime (@overtime) February 7, 2025
“You could potentially be the first pick, but bro you have no way of impacting the game like a quarterback does. You can lock down the No. 1 receiver, you can make impact plays on offense all you want, but it’s still not like a quarterback.”
In his case, though, he believed the biggest hurdle came in the form of his teammates. “When I was the first pick, I went into a locker room of losers. Guys didn’t know how to win, guys didn’t know how to prepare, it was a cultural shock for me.”
He went on to take some shots at players in the league as well, claiming, “The games don’t mean a lot to a lot of people in the league like you would expect. It’s just money. Not everybody has capabilities to be impact players. They’re just players.”
Newton came into the league as a Heisman Trophy winner like Hunter to a Carolina Panthers squad that had won just two games the previous year. A Pro Bowler and Offensive Rookie of the Year winner, he changed the course of the franchise.
In just four seasons, he won the Offensive Player of the Year as well as the MVP award, leading the Panthers to a 15-1 record and making it all the way to the Super Bowl.
For a Carolina franchise that hasn’t been among the best in the league since its formation in 1995, the Cam Newton years were the glorious exception. But, Newton understands the pressure that comes with a situation — one that Hunter is possibly walking into.
