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2013 NFL Draft: Justin Hunter to visit Buffalo Bills

Obviously, a 6'4", 196-pound receiver with 4.44 speed will be of interest to Buddy Nix.

Jim Brown-US PRESSWIRE

One of the top wide receiver prospects in the 2013 NFL Draft, Justin Hunter of Tennessee, tweets that he's en route to Western New York for a pre-draft visit with the Buffalo Bills.

While teammate Cordarrelle Patterson has gotten significantly more coverage and hype pre-draft, the 6'4", 196-pound Hunter may have even more upside than his ex-JUCO teammate. He scored seven touchdowns as a part-time player as a freshman, and was poised for stardom before a knee injury cut his sophomore season short. Hunter had a break-out junior campaign, registering 73 receptions, 1,083 yards and nine touchdowns last year.

Buffalo's interest in Hunter is particularly interesting because of GM Buddy Nix's proclivity for top-notch athletes. Hunter pumped out a 4.44-second 40-yard dash at the Combine in February, and further proved his explosiveness with a 39.5-inch vertical leap and an 11'4" broad jump.

There are two issues with Hunter, however, that have limited his stock somewhat: lingering concerns over the aforementioned knee injury and, more importantly, his hands. First, the injury: Hunter was not nearly as explosive in 2012 as he showed in 2010 and 2011, and despite his statistical production was clearly not all the way back to his previous self. He also drops a lot of passes, which is the bigger concern for the moment.

Still, he's a productive player and an athletic prototype, so clearly he's going to be slotted high on Buffalo's draft board. They'll get a closer look at him in short order.