NFL analyst: Colorado stars could be top two picks in 2025 NFL Draft

In 2023, Colorado became the feel-good story of college football in head coach Deion Sanders' first season by starting 3-0. But the Buffaloes crashed down the stretch, losing six consecutive games to finish 4-8.

Despite the disappointing ending, Sanders and Hunter did more than enough to convince scouts they can easily transition to the NFL.

In 11 starts for Colorado, Sanders boasted a 69.3 completion percentage and an above-average 151.7 QB rating. The 22-year-old also set Colorado's season passing yards record (3,230) and threw for 27 touchdowns and only three interceptions.

Though the 2024 NFL Draft class has multiple quarterbacks expected to be chosen early in the first round — namely North Carolina's Drake Maye, USC's Caleb Williams and LSU's Jayden Daniels — the 2025 QB class is not believed to be as deep. With another strong season, Sanders could cement himself as the top QB in his draft over Georgia's Carson Beck and Texas' Quinn Ewers.

"What people are gonna misinterpret is that he is this dual-threat quarterback," Yates said of Sanders. "When he had time to throw, I thought he was the best pure passer in the whole country."

Hunter, meanwhile, excelled on offense and defense, playing the most regular-season snaps from scrimmage of any player in the FBS. The 20-year-old reeled in 57 catches for 721 yards and five touchdowns and amassed 30 total tackles, five passes defended and three interceptions. He also earned the  2023 Paul Hornung Award, which recognizes college football’s most versatile player.

While also appearing on the "DNVR Buffs Podcast," NFL Network's Brian Baldinger, a former NFL player, heralded Hunter as the "No. 1 player in the country."

There have only been three instances in which two teammates from the same college went No. 1 and No. 2 in the NFL Draft, according to The Sporting News. The last institution to accomplish the rare feat was Penn State in 2000 (DE Courtney Brown and LB LaVar Arrington), preceded by Michigan State in 1967 (DT Bubba Smith, RB Clint Jones) and Nebraska in 1984 (WR Irving Fryar, OT Dean Steinkuhler).

According to Deion Sanders, however, all eyes next season will be on the Colorado stars who might pull it off.

"We got, proposedly, the first and second pick of the whole draft, Shedeur and Travis," he said during his "Prime Time: Performance and Leadership" class. "So every NFL scout is coming down."