Jontrey Hunter NFL Draft 2024: Scouting Report for New England Patriots LB

HEIGHT: 6'2"

WEIGHT: 236

HAND: 9"

ARM: 31¾"

WINGSPAN: 76⅞"

40-YARD DASH: N/A

3-CONE: N/A

SHUTTLE: N/A

VERTICAL: 32"

BROAD: 9'3"

POSITIVES

— Good frame with room for growth if need be.

— Smooth mover who has good speed and change-of-direction skills to help in coverage. Obvious that he's a former defensive back.

— Good eye discipline in zone coverage to locate threats coming into his area. Uses his hands to disrupt routes.

— Has decent range against outside runs with his angles and speed.

NEGATIVES

— Can be late or a little slow to key and diagnose running plays, leading to him getting caught in the trash.

— Struggles to hold his ground and shed in the running game. Gets stuck on blocks and has short arms.

— Doesn't have much pop behind his pads even when coming downhill.

— Misses way too many tackles. Lunges and dives at ankles instead of bringing his feet and running through the ball-carrier.

2023 STATISTICS

— 12 G, 96 TOT, 7.0 TFL, 1.5 SK, 4 PD, 3 FF

NOTES

— Born June 1, 2000

— 2-star recruit as a safety in the 2018 class, per 247Sports

— No major injuries

OVERALL

Listed as a 6'2" and 205-pound safety recruit coming out of high school, Jontrey Hunter moved up a level on defense and packed on some size during his six years at Georgia State. On tape, it's clear that he has a background as a defensive back, as his movement skills are his biggest asset.

Hunter is good in coverage against tight ends and running backs. He has the change-of-direction ability to stay in phase against shorter routes and the speed to carry deep ones in man coverage. He also has smooth transitions and impressive acceleration to click and close when playing zone.

Speed also helps Hunter's range against outside runs, but he struggles to hold his ground when taking on blocks from offensive linemen and blocking tight ends. He needs to add strength, but his shorter arms could always make it tough for him to disengage from blocks.

With that being said, Hunter has athletic traits worth betting on in the later rounds of the 2024 NFL draft as a potential coverage linebacker. He'll need to make a name for himself on special teams and spend some time in the weight room, but he could blossom into a decent NFL player down the road.

GRADE: 5.7 (Backup/Draftable — 6th-7th Round)

OVERALL RANK: 205

POSITION RANK: LB15

PRO COMPARISON: Shades of Jabril Cox

Written by B/R NFL Scout Matt Holder

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