Experts split on CU Buffs stars in first NFL Mock Drafts

Now that regular season football is over the NFL Draft order has been set, which means the Mock Drafts have become a lot more meaningful and the two CU Buffs stars are expected to go early in every expert’s scenario but they’re all split on how it plays out for Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter.

The Tennesse Titans are on the clock with the No. 1 pick, which will be made on April 24 in Green Bay. They’ll be followed by the Cleveland Browns, New York Giants, New England Patriots and Jacksonville Jaguars to round out the top five. The first three teams are in obvious need of a quarterback solution while the latter two seem to have their men in place with stud rookie Drake Maye and former Pro Bowler Trevor Lawrence. The wrinkle here is the Browns have a giant amount of money committed to gunslinger DeShaun Watson and their franchise’s poor history along with some flirtation of Deion Sanders about strong-arming teams makes some think Shedeur might not play in Ohio. This scenario could lead to a trade with teams like the Las Vegas Raiders and New York Jets who need a quarterback and are slated to pick at No. 6 and No. 7.

While many believe that the Heisman-winning Hunter is the best prospect in this draft, even with his two-way skills a quarterback is more valuable for the teams at the top. So Hunter could fall all the way to three with the emergence of Heisman finalist Miami Hurricanes signal caller Cam Ward. Prognosticators and analysts are split on who will go first between Sanders and Ward, which will certainly flip-flop between now, the combine and all of the rest of the hoopla that leads into draft day.

NFL Mock Drafts for Buffs stars:

ESPN’s Jordan Reid: No. 1 Titans select Ward, No. 2 Browns select Sanders, No. 3 Giants select Hunter
The Ringer’s Danny Kelly: No. 1 Titans select Sanders, No. 2 Browns select Hunter, No. 3 Giants select Ward
Pro Football Focus’ Trevor Sikkema: No. 1 Titans select Ward, No. 2 Browns select Hunter, No. 3 Giants select Sanders
CBS Sports’ Ryan Wilson: No. 1 Titans select Ward, No. 2 Browns select Sanders, No. 3 Giants select Hunter
Yahoo’s Nate Tice and Charles McDonald: No. 1 Titans select Ward, No. 2 Raiders trade for Sanders, No. 3 Giants select Hunter

More folks now have Ward going over Sanders, which has flipped from before Bowl Season. More interestingly everyone seems to be undecided on where Sanders will land or if the Browns will dare to draft him. The pandora’s box of scenarios for both Sanders and Hunter starts with Ward going first.

Sanders was the Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year following an awesome season where he ranked in the top 10 nationally in completion percentage (74%), passing yards (4,134) and touchdowns (37) while breaking Colorado school records for passing touchdowns, passing yards, consecutive games with a touchdown pass, quarterback rating and completion percentage.

Ward got a trip to New York for his stellar season of a nation-leading 39 touchdown passes while throwing for 4,313 yards on a 67.2% completion rate. The Washington State transfer led Miami to a 10-3 season and a trip to the Pop Tarts Bowl.

Hunter’s season was unprecedented, becoming the first player to truly play both sides of the ball and do it at a high level in modern college football. He finished with a Big 12-best 96 catches for 1,258 yards, which were both fourth in the NCAA this year. Hunter’s 15 receiving touchdowns was a school record, conference-best and second-best in the nation. He’s also added a rushing touchdown on a jet sweep. It’s for all of this on offense that Hunter won the Biletnikoff Award for the best wide receiver in the country. Defensively, Hunter racked up 36 tackles, four interceptions, 11 passes defended as well as a game-winning forced fumble on defense. Those ball-hawking skills placed Hunter at or near the top of the Big 12 leaderboard which is why he won the Chuck Bednarik Award as the top defensive player in the country. Hunter is the first player to be named the country’s top pass-catcher and defender, which in turn earned him the Heisman.