CU Buffs stars go one and two in latest ESPN mock NFL Draft

The University of Colorado could make history this spring at the NFL Draft, and if ESPN’s latest scenario plays out Buffaloes will be selected No. 1 and No. 2.

ESPN experts have Travis Hunter as the consensus No. 1 player in the class. All of ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr., Jordan Reid and Field Yates have the defensive back and wide receiver at the top spot. The lone holdout is Matt Miller, who has Hunter as the third-best player in the class behind Michigan corner Will Johnson and Missouri pass-catcher Luther Burden III.

But Hunter isn’t going No. 1 in the mock, that would be Buffs quarterback Shedeur Sanders—who is the top gunslinger in the class according to all four analysts. They point to Sanders work inside the pocket, for his biggest strength and the thing that’s separating him from Cam Ward, Carson Beck, Jalen Milroe and Quinn Ewers. Of course even more impressive is Sanders is standing in there despite being pressured on nearly 35% of his dropbacks.

For that, the mock has Sanders going No. 1 to the Clevland Browns. Sanders in Kevin Stefanski’s would be really interesting but the Browns are a mess with the Deshaun Watson situation and the dead money the team would take on by cutting their struggling started. If cut this spring, the team would take on a record $172 million in dead cap money, which would significantly hamper the start of Sanders career if he went to the Browns. But for the Browns, it would make sense to go cheap with a rookie at the position while they try to cut costs. If Sanders did indeed go No. 1, he would be the highest-drafted CU player ever, a mark currently held by Bo Matthews going No. 2 in 1974 to the Chargers.

Meaning if Hunter is the highest-selected Buffs player at No. 2, where ESPN projects him—he would still tie Matthews’ mark. ESPN has Hunter landing with the New England Patriots, who will likely be selecting near the top. They already have a rookie QB in place with Drake Maye taking over starter duties for the team last week. This would pair Hunter with former Buffs defensive back Christian Gonzalez on defense and give Maye a terrific weapon on offense. The Pats need 0ffesive line help but there isn’t a standout big boy in the class, so they might trade down so that a QB-needy team can get the second-best option behind Sanders. But if the Pats are selecting here Hunter makes a lot of sense and truly he makes sense for any team that isn’t desperate for a signal-caller.

If Sanders and Hunter go back-to-back to kick off the class, it would be the third time since 1967 that college teammates are the first two players off the board. The last time it happened was when Penn State’s Courtney Brown and LaVar Arrington topped the board in 2000.