The biggest wild card of the NFL Draft is probably Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders. His teammate, Travis Hunter, is much less of a mystery.
That’s why the spotlight shined more on Sanders during Colorado’s pro day workout on Friday. Hunter, who didn’t work out at the NFL scouting combine, limited his participation to a few routes. The Heisman Trophy winner, who played more snaps than anyone in college football last season as a two-way player, will mostly let the tape speak for him. That makes sense, because he’s very unlikely to fall out of the top five picks.
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Sanders didn’t have that luxury. Sanders has been speculated to go as high as second overall to the Cleveland Browns, who sent a group to the Colorado pro day that included owner Jimmy Haslam and coach Kevin Stefanski, or perhaps late in the first round.
Sanders was his normal accurate self at Friday’s workout, especially on some deep balls, though it’s hard to take too much out of a passing exhibition in shorts and a T-shirt with no defense against him. But one throw, a 55-yarder with good accuracy to Jimmy Horn Jr., stood out.
His deep ball looked effortless and he put it where he wanted.
Eric Galko, director of football operations for the Shrine Bowl, logged Sanders as completing 58 of 63 passes during the workout, and three of the incompletions were drops. Again, it’s far from a game situation but it should reinforce the accuracy that Sanders displayed throughout his college career.
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It didn’t seem to be the type of pro day workout that has teams buzzing and changing their draft board in a dramatic way, but Sanders reinforced his strengths.
Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders takes part in passing drills during Colorado’ pro day on Friday. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
(ASSOCIATED PRESS)
For most of the 2000s, Colorado’s program was far off the map. There wasn’t any NFL talent coming through Boulder. In 2011, cornerback Jimmy Smith and offensive tackle Nate Solder were first-round picks. Before that, the Buffaloes hadn’t had a first-round pick since 2003.
On Friday, CU’s pro day was televised live by NFL Network. The program has come a long way since Deion Sanders took over.
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While Colorado has some possible third-day picks, the show on Friday was all about Shedeur Sanders and Hunter. Both could end up as top five picks — Colorado hasn’t had a top-five pick since Michael Westbrook in 1995 — but Sanders had a few more questions to answer than Hunter.
With Sanders, the projections on where he might go in the draft vary wildly. That’s because while he was a productive quarterback who elevated the programs at Jackson State and then Colorado, there are concerns about his arm strength, athleticism and size. He seems to still be in play for the Cleveland Browns with the No. 2 overall pick, or could slide in the first round.
Deion Sanders, Shedeur’s father and a Pro Football Hall of Famer, was pumping up both of his stars to NFL teams.
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“He and Travis Hunter, to me, are the most bankable two young men in this draft. What can surprise you?” Deion Sanders said on NFL Network. “What can surprise you? Shedeur, nothing but consistency with some of the dysfunctional situations, that I may say, that we placed him in. But he still exceeded all expectations. I think he holds the record for completion percentage in college football, right? He’s that guy. And Travis Hunter, ain’t nobody like him. We can search far and near and you’re not going to find anybody like him.
“If you’re talking about consistency of two guys that you know, I don’t care what happens on that field or in life, you know what they’re going to do.”
Shedeur Sanders made a sales pitch himself.
“All I need is an opportunity. Simple,” Sanders told ESPN. “Whatever franchise want to change their franchise, then it’s no doubt who to go with. I’ve done it. Over and over and over. So, you’d be a fool not to pick me.”
Hunter seems to be a lock to go in the top five, and could be as high as second to the Browns. Hunter is one of the most fascinating prospects in NFL Draft history. He could be the top cornerback or top receiver in the draft if he picked only one position. He won a Heisman Trophy last season because he was elite at both positions.
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Teams high in the draft will have to figure out if they want Hunter to be a cornerback, receiver or both. The Browns have said they see him as a receiver. Browns general manager Andrew Berry said he sees Hunter primarily as a receiver. Other teams could use him as a cornerback, while teams like the Titans have said they believe he can do both. Hunter didn’t work out at the NFL scouting combine, so Friday’s pro day was supposed to get more data points on a unique athlete. Hunter ran some impressive routes with multiple sudden moves, but did not do much else.
“Why would he do more?” Deion Sanders said on NFL Network. “Some guys that need it, some guys that have it and the only thing they can do is hurt it.
“He’s got three years of superb film to his credit. You ain’t seen it? What do you need to see?”
Like Marvin Harrison Jr. last year, Hunter hasn’t done many traditional drills in the lead-up to the draft, like the 40-yard dash. That shows he’s is confident that he’s a lock to go in the top five and has no reason to work out further. Harrison went fourth last season, after three quarterbacks were off the board. His draft stock wasn’t affected and it’s unlikely Hunter will fall because he didn’t work out, even if some NFL executives will inevitably complain anonymously through the media about it.
NFL Draft day will be big for Colorado. They’ve had just six top-10 NFL Draft picks in school history. It would be a complete shock if Hunter doesn’t go in the top 10. We’ll see if Sanders’ pro day workout helps get him in that group.
