NFL mock draft: Projecting Travis Hunter, Shedeur Sanders teams if season ended today

While Colorado was a possession away from being 5-1 and almost certainly ranked inside the AP Top 25, the Buffaloes could not put away the Kansas State Wildcats late into the night on Saturday. Admittedly, the Buffs look a lot better than I expected in Big 12 play. I had them as a 5-7 team to start the year. Now they look like a team that will win around eight or so games. They have some dudes!

Outside of head coach Deion Sanders, the two players of note when you think of Colorado Buffaloes football are quarterback Shedeur Sanders, Coach Prime's son, and cornerback/wide receiver Travis Hunter. Both players have been tabbed as potential first-round picks all season long. The talent with them is obvious, but seeing Colorado more than holding its own in the Big 12 has been a huge plus.

So what I want to do today is take a look at these two blue-chip prospects and put them onto NFL teams. This past offseason, Deion Sanders said that his two sons Shedeur and Shilo, as well as his "other" son Travis Hunter, would only play for a select few teams of his choosing. I don't know if that will hold up in a court of NFL Draft law, but I would love to see it try. Let's put them on teams, bruh!

Let's start with Hunter, one of the most captivating prospects we have evaluated in quite some time.

Projected NFL team for Colorado Buffaloes CB/WR Travis Hunter

In most way-too-early machinations of an NFL Draft, most talent evaluators or draft experts have Hunter as a top five pick. On talent alone, I totally get it. In terms of his overall durability, I have a fear he might be breaking down playing both ways for Coach Prime. In the NFL, he should be a cornerback to get the most out of his talent. Maybe on a very extreme occasional, he lines up at wide receiver.

There are a few teams that seemed to make the most sense for Hunter at this stage of the process. I have seen him tied to the Carolina Panthers, the Jacksonville Jaguars, the Los Angeles Rams and the New England Patriots. I ended up settling with the Patriots for one reason: I trust this team projected to be picking in the top five to keep its head coach. Will Sanders allow Hunter to play for Jerod Mayo?

Since Mayo is a former player, one with a ton of respect from his playing days professionally in New England and collegiately at Tennessee, I think there is a way where if he and Eliot Wolf can convey the Patriots' plan of attack towards being competitive under this new regime, then I think Sanders will be okay with Hunter going to Foxborough. The other teams are very much wait and see at head coach.

The right team picking near the top for draft has not fully emerged for Hunter, but this remains fluid.

Projected NFL team for Travis Hunter: New England Patriots

Projected NFL team for Colorado Buffaloes QB Shedeur Sanders

Figuring out what team will end up picking Shedeur Sanders is both difficult and fascinating. I fully suspect that there will be five quarterbacks taken in the first round this spring. Sanders is one of three locks, along with Georgia's Carson Beck and Texas' Quinn Ewers. The other two quarterbacks to watch out for are Alabama's Jalen Milroe and Miami's Cam Ward, but those two feel a bit more fluid.

Throughout the way-too-early draft process, I have had Sanders as high as QB2, but never lower than QB4. I feel that his overall polish has him firmly QB3 in my book. Right now, I would take him over Milroe and Ward, but not over Beck or Ewers. That feels like my default pecking order here. As far as where Sanders could go, I like him to either the Cleveland Browns or the Las Vegas Raiders the most.

While I think the Silver and Black would be a perfect landing spot for him with the Raiders being the NFL's rebel franchise and all, I am going with the Browns over them this week for two reasons: Kevin Stefanski and Jimmy Haslam. Although Colorado offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur may have some things to say about Haslam, Stefanski is the best thing to happen to the Browns since being revived.

This team has a great defense, but has been undermined by bad quarterback play for three decades.

Projected NFL team for Shedeur Sanders: Cleveland Browns