What NFL draft analysts say about Shedeur Sanders, Travis Hunter as Colorado faces Nebraska

Despite a relative lack of success for roughly two decades, Colorado has a rich history of sending players to the NFL.

Since the merger with the AFL, the Buffaloes eight times have seen a pair of players drafted in the first round of the same draft, most recently in 2011. A total of 30 players from CU have heard their name called in the first round.

The names are familiar: Michael Westbrook, Mike Pritchard, Charles Johnson, Nate Solder, Alfred Williams, Rashaan Salaam, Daniel Graham and Deion Figures were a few.

The one thing the program has never had, though? A No. 1 overall pick. Bo Matthews (No. 2 in 1974) is the highest in CU history.

If Deion Sanders is right, the Buffs will have two players in contention for the No. 1 pick in 2025.

Colorado's coach has not been quiet about his expectations for both his son, quarterback Shedeur, and two-way star Travis Hunter. He’s said both will be top-four picks. Coach Prime later claimed they could go 1-2.

Sanders has also hinted he already knows which franchises he prefers for his son and Hunter, claiming on a podcast that they could pull an “Eli (Manning)” and force their way to a different team.

The buildup to the 2024 draft will not be short of intrigue. First, Hunter and Shedeur have at least 11 games to prove they're top-five picks.

Ahead of Saturday’s game against Nebraska, arguably the biggest platform of the season for both teams, here’s where the Buffs’ stars stand with NFL draft evaluators:

Travis Hunter

It seems like it flips every week.

In the season opener against North Dakota State, Hunter looked like a future All-Pro wide receiver. Others, like last season, Hunter looks like a future All-Pro cornerback.

“He has put it on tape that he can do both,” The Athletic’s lead NFL draft analyst, Dane Brugler, told The Denver Gazette. “There is no doubt about it. He is a top-10 player in this draft regardless if you're playing him on offense or defense. Some of those games he has looked better on offense; others he's looked better on defense. I think that just speaks to his ability as a player.

“It's something that will be talked about ad nauseam, both on the outside and then also in NFL circles as they try to figure it out. This guy is a no-doubt-about-it top-10 pick. But, what position is he going to play?”

That question won't be answered soon.

As the draft gets closer, there’s still a good chance NFL teams are split on where they see Hunter playing primarily at the next level. The amount of snaps he plays isn't sustainable. That doesn’t mean he’ll be limited to just one side of the ball, though. His usage on one side will be drastically cut down.

“In the NFL, you don't play two positions,” said Brugler, who has Hunter at No. 3 overall in his initial top-50 big board for the 2025 draft. “Now, you do have a main position and then a secondary position. That is a thing very much, but teams have to figure out what is the main position and what is the secondary position with Travis, because he's not gonna be drafted to have two main positions, but he will be drafted with a main position and a secondary position.

“I think scouts would love to see him — and coaches — they'd love to see him stay on defense and have corner as his main position.”

The main reason for that is simple. It’s harder to find cornerbacks with Hunter’s traits. Even if he could be stronger, Hunter's size, length and instincts are hard to find. But that doesn’t mean Hunter will want to be primarily a defender — if and when he is forced to choose. Brugler thinks Hunter may tell teams he prefers wide receiver.

“That's just me speculating because you look at the wide receiver contracts being thrown around, (and) everybody wants the ball in their hands and, honestly, that's just kind of my guess of where I see him playing,” Brugler said. “But the other thing, too, if his main position is gonna be corner, it's a lot easier for that to be his main position. Then you sprinkle in some offensive plays for him as opposed to him being a full-time wide receiver, (and) it's a lot tougher to just sprinkle him in on defense.

"So, with that being said, I think teams would love for his main position to be corner and that secondary position be receiver, but I have a feeling he's gonna want the opposite way.”

Those conversations will play out in March and April as the teams at the top meet with Hunter. That’s why Coach Prime’s comments on Hunter dictating where he lands aren’t far-fetched.

“That's why I think the most important thing is for teams just to figure out where he prefers to play,” Brugler said. “Because that matters, you know? I mean, if he tells teams in meetings, ‘Hey, I wanna play both, but wide receiver is kind of where I like doing the most,’ then you can't draft him as a corner because then you run the risk of having an unhappy player who is not convinced that you're gonna use him on offense. It's gonna be really interesting to see how teams attack this.”

Just like he was a five-star recruit, Hunter once again could be the top player at two positions.

“The way things play out, we could see Travis Hunter be cornerback (No. 1) for a team, but also a wide receiver (No. 1) for that same team,” Brugler said. “He has that type of ability.”

Shedeur Sanders

Shedeur almost certainly will make history at next year’s draft.

The highest quarterback selected in CU history was Kordell Stewart, who was taken by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the second round with the No. 60 overall pick in 1995.

It's hard to spot a scenario in which Shedeur isn't picked earlier than that in 2025. He may have even been a first-round pick if he had declared in 2024. In choosing to return as a college senior, Shedeur has given himself a chance to be the top quarterback drafted, which makes him a candidate for the top pick.

Evaluators want to see more, including a willingness to attack the middle of the field, something he did in Week 1 on his way to 400-plus yards and four touchdowns.

“I actually thought in this game (against North Dakota State) he showed that he wanted to do that and was willing to make those throws,” The Athletic’s Derrik Klassen told The Denver Gazette. “I thought that was a nice little step forward and then it seemed like he was a little bit more willing to hang in the pocket this year, which is something I actually thought he improved on last year, like over the course of the season. He got more comfortable being able to hang in and take hits and all that stuff, but playing behind that offensive line, I think he was still a little scared and didn't want to do it all the time.

“But in this game, I actually thought he looked pretty put together and only really left (the pocket) when he needed to.”

NFL teams will like the traits that most observers appreciate — namely his arm talent.

“I think his arm is really damn good,” Klassen said. “I feel like when I first watched him the first game or two, it kinda pops every now and then, but the more I watch him, I just think his release is so consistent. It's so reliable, and he gets such a good pop at the end when the ball actually comes out. Every throw is gonna be on the table for him no matter what.

"Even further than that, he's actually really, really damn good at throwing on the move. Some guys lose some accuracy or they lose some heat when they're throwing on the move. I mean, this is an issue with (Georgia’s) Carson Beck. He definitely loses something on the move.

“But Sanders, if you just cut off the throw right after the ball gets out, it looks like he would have had a clean pocket and everything. He's just a guy who, when he's moving, is just super comfortable throwing. So I love that about him.”

At this point, Beck is likely Shedeur’s top competition to be the top quarterback in the class. Others like Notre Dame’s Riley Leonard, Texas’ Quinn Ewers and Miami’s Cam Ward could join the conversation as well.

“I think between Sanders and Beck, it's gonna kinda come down to preference,” Klassen said. “I think Sanders' arm is a little bit bigger. I think he's a little bit more creative when he needs to play outside the pocket, whereas a guy like Beck, I think is almost more like if you took away 15% of Trevor Lawrence's talent, like he kind of plays that way. So I think it's just a little bit going to come down to preference. But I think they're both kind of in that pick 15-40 range where they're kind of first-round picks but not really.”

If teams feel he’s not quite the same prospect as Caleb Williams or Drake Maye in 2024, they are still willing to take chances on quarterbacks at the top of the draft.

“There's clearly a path for him to be a franchise guy, but it doesn't feel like he has the super elite tools the way that Drake or Caleb did,” Klassen said. “So I think he's good, but I almost wonder if him being QB1 by default makes him seem like a better prospect than he is.”

Wherever he's drafted, it’s about fit.

“That's the most important thing for these young quarterbacks as they get to the NFL is not being forced into an offense that they feel like they have to learn from scratch,” Brugler said. “It matters that they're going to an offense that is really catered around the strengths of the player and what they're most comfortable doing. That's gonna help ease that process.”