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Mock Drafts
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… Note … With CU “primed” to have two top ten NFL Draft picks, it seems appropriate to have a separate thread for Mock Drafts. The NFL Draft will take place in Green Bay, Wisconsin, April 24-26. As the draft gets closer, Mock Drafts will be expanded past the first round, and we’ll be able to talk more about where other Buffs will go, but for now, it’s all about the first round, and who will be the No. 1 overall pick …
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January 24th
CBS Sports Mock Draft: Raiders move up to take Shedeur with No. 1 pick
From CBS Sports … Tom Brady and Shedeur Sanders go way back, having established a football relationship since Sanders’ days as a high school quarterback.
And with Brady seemingly very much involved in the decision-making process for the Raiders now that he’s a minority owner, let’s assume the legendary quarterback makes sure his team can draft the Colorado quarterback in April.
Las Vegas has the No. 6 overall pick — so there are no guarantees Sanders is wearing Silver and Black in September. If the Raiders trade up to No. 1 overall, that can, of course, happen.
In this mock, in his first seismic move as part owner, Brady and Co. — whomever they hire as GM — make a deal with the Tennessee Titans and promptly select Sanders to be the club’s next quarterback. It’d fill a need. Sanders is reasonably pro-ready from a full-field read perspective.
And if you hit on the quarterback, no one ever remembers, or cares, what you sent in a draft-day trade to get him.
No. 1 – Shedeur Sanders – Las Vegas Raiders
We cannot rule out the possibility of the Raiders — and new minority owner Tom Brady — making an aggressive push to draft Shedeur Sanders. There’s a chance Sanders’ connection with Brady will make it too dicey for Las Vegas to simply hope and wait for him to fall to No. 6 overall.
No. 4 – Travis Hunter – New England Patriots
Travis Hunter to the Patriots would be tremendous for everyone involved. New England gets a ridiculous two-way player, and Hunter can be featured prominently right away.
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Mel Kiper (ESPN): Shedeur and Travis go No. 2 and No. 3
We’re roughly three months from the 2025 NFL draft. The college football season is officially over — congrats to the national champion Ohio State Buckeyes — and we’re down to four teams in the NFL playoffs. That means three things:
- We have a full final season of tape for top prospects, so evaluations are becoming clearer.
- The draft order for the first 28 picks is locked in, with the Tennessee Titans sitting at No. 1.
- It’s a perfect time for my debut mock draft for the 2025 class.
This class isn’t loaded with quarterback talent like we saw in 2024. But I still have a few passers going early in Round 1, and there is plenty of talent at other positions. Remember, there is a lot of time before the draft begins April 24, and the board will continue to change with predraft events. This is merely an exercise to show what I’m thinking three months out, factoring in my Big Board rankings and what I’m hearing from execs, scouts and coaches in the league. I’m not projecting any trades right now; it’s just too early to gauge which teams could move up. And I used ESPN’s Football Power Index to project the draft order for the final four picks.
1. Tennessee Titans …. Cam Ward, QB, Miami
2. Cleveland Browns … Travis Hunter, WR/CB, Colorado
Know how I just said the Titans had the league’s second-worst QBR and INT total? Well, the Browns were the worst in both categories. Deshaun Watson also retore his right Achilles and Jameis Winston is a free agent, so taking Sanders isn’t out of the question. But I think Cleveland is more likely to address another hole here and find QB reinforcements in free agency and/or later in the draft. (Trading back for more picks with another QB-needy team could be part of the equation, too.)
Plus, Hunter is just that good. I see elite quickness and ball skills on both sides of the ball, traits that helped him to 15 touchdown catches and four interceptions this season. The Browns would likely use him primarily at receiver and then sprinkle him in at cornerback in specific situations.
3. New York Giants … Shedeur Sanders, QB, Colorado
This is the best-case scenario for the Giants. Their Week 17 win over the Colts slid them to No. 3, and now finding a new QB1 in the first round isn’t guaranteed. But Daniel Jones is gone and Drew Lock is a free agent, so the Giants have to do something to clean up one of the worst passing games in the league. New York will be weighing all options, and it might ultimately be forced to trade up into the top two to get its guy. But here, Sanders falls into the Giants’ lap without any extra moves.
Sanders is super accurate, completing 74% of his throws this season. He could step in right away and lift the entire offense, including standout 2024 first-rounder Malik Nabers. Time is running out for GM Joe Schoen and coach Brian Daboll; they have to get this right.
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The Sporting News: Travis Hunter the No. 1 pick
From The Sporting News … The first-round NFL Draft order for April 24 is almost set. Four more teams were eliminated from the 2025 playoffs in the divisional round, officially locking in picks No. 1-28 ahead of the conference championship games.
Of course, offseason trades can (and will) happen, which will further shake up the order, but that’s another worry for another post-Super Bowl day.
Here’s looking at the updated projections for all the teams who know where they’ll be picking — for now — on Day 1.
1. Tennessee Titans 3-14
- Travis Hunter, CB/WR, Colorado (6-1, 185 pounds)
The Titans will be urged to draft a quarterback with this pick, but they could also use cornerback help after both Chidobe Awuize and Roger McCreary struggled in coverage. They could use a little more big-play flash at wide receiver to help Calvin Ridley, as well. Hunter has the big defensive game they need along with high-impact WR energy as a unique, Heisman-winning talent.
3. New York Giants 3-14
- Shedeur Sanders, QB, Colorado (6-2, 215 pounds)
There are reports of Sanders falling off some teams’ first-round boards because of how he played at the end of the Buffaloes’ season, changing the narrative on his entire body of work as a clutch, accurate downfield passer. But there’s no indication that the Giants are one of those teams, with reports to the contrary reflecting their growing desire for Sanders to shine in returning coach Brian Daboll’s offense. New York has set itself up for getting a “prime-time” franchise QB, and that aligns with being a desired destination for Deion’s son.
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One Reply to “Mock Drafts”
With the Raiders getting their guy – whom I think is a good hire, for whatever that’s worth – I wonder if they’ll try to trade up to get Shedeur?
Go Buffs