GREEN BAY – Travis Hunter is expected to be one of the top picks in the 2025 NFL Draft on April 24, a potential two-way star coming off a memorable season at Colorado that ended with the Heisman Trophy and his jersey number retired.
Hunter already knows the impact he can provide as both a wide receiver and defensive back for the team that selects him, but he also knows what he can offer to whatever community he soon will call home.
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He joined more than a dozen other draft prospects April 23 to help put on a football skills clinic with Special Olympics athletes and youth football players at the NFL Draft Experience in the Titletown District.
“I always do that, no matter where I’m at,” Hunter said about using his platform to help others. “In Colorado, I do the same thing. I always went to gas stations, just sat there for a couple hours and let the fans come out.
“I love giving back. I love being around the kids and seeing them smile. Take pictures. They will be able to remember that for a lifetime.”
NFL draft prospect Maxwell Hairston, a cornerback out of Kentucky, runs drills with young athletes during the Play Football Prospects Clinic on April 23 in the Titletown District in Green Bay.
That would probably be music to the ears of Anna Isaacson, the senior vice president of social responsibility with the NFL.
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She has been with the league for almost two decades, and community impact is near the top of the list for what the NFL most values.
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It’s become an annual tradition for some of the elite prospects who attend the NFL draft to participate in a community event before they hear their name called.
When the draft was held in New York each year before the production was taken to other NFL cities starting in 2015, players often would visit children’s hospitals.
“It’s such an important thing that we are trying to make sure it’s clear, you get drafted into the NFL, this is who we are and we want you to be part of that,” Isaacson said. “Now, the truth is, most of these guys were probably doing some of this in college. There is a deeper understanding of social impact than there was a while ago.
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“It remains critical for us to kind of keep that at the forefront at all of our major events. But particularly the draft, when we have this group of guys who are about to embark on the biggest moment of their lives, to be like, ‘This is also important.’”
Isaacson has attended enough of these events to see the impact it has on the children who attend. It will be quite memorable for them to soon say they caught a pass from Miami quarterback and likely first overall pick Cam Ward, took part in a drill under the watchful eyes of Boise State star running back Ashton Jeanty or got a picture with Penn State defensive end Abdul Carter.
NFL draft prospects Shemar Stewart, left, of Texas A&M and quarterback Jalen Milroe of Alabama, right, run drills during the Play Football Prospect Clinic on April 23 in the Titletown District in Green Bay.
“It’s fun,” said camp participant Xavier “X” Goff, who lives in Milwaukee. “It’s having fun with other people. Just going to enjoy it.”
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Fellow camper and Milwaukee native Rionne “Ree” Turner echoed Goff’s sentiments.
“I’ve been meeting a lot of new people,” Turner said. “I would love to meet some players.”
The NFL often begins planning for community events during draft week about a year in advance, and this one was no different.
Players who agreed to come to Green Bay to take part in the draft were given an itinerary, although the NFL doesn’t ask all that much of them because they understand the importance of the situation and that most players will want time to spend with family who made the journey to be with them.
The youth clinic was one of the things they were required to do, but it’s not like it was a big chore.
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During an intense week, it was one of the few relaxing moments for them. They liked helping and joking around with kids, especially considering it wasn’t that long ago they were those kids looking up to professional athletes.
“Most definitely,” Arizona wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan said. “It’s a blessing to come out here and be able to give back to the community. Just being able to be out here with these kids, put a smile on their faces. At the end of the day, that’s all we look for as high-profile players.
“Being able to give back to the community is an immediate thing I’m going to look forward to, for sure.”
This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: Travis Hunter, fellow prospects put on youth clinic on eve of NFL draft
