Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter — two names that have dominated college football headlines. But as the 2025 NFL Draft looms, the debate rages on — who will be picked first? For a while, it seemed like the QB had a real shot at being the first QB off the board. But then came the NFL Combine. 

The skipped drills and his confidence affected his draft stocks. Some scouts called him “arrogant” and “brash” and one particular former NFL scout not only put him behind Cam Ward, but dared to call him an “undraftable free agent.” But despite their race to be the first pick, the Buffs’ two-way star stood his ground for Shedeur. 

In a new YouTube episode on The Travis Hunter Show on March 13, Travis Hunter addressed the criticism surrounding Shedeur Sanders. “They trying to knock Shedeur down and trying to build somebody up,” he bluntly stated. “That’s kind of what I think it is. We kind of used to it again this point after the 4-8 season at Colorado. So we kind of used to it.” The criticism began right when they stepped into Boulder in 2023 making a loud noise only to suffer a poor first 4-win season. 

Caring less for the outside noise is key for the two future NFL Buff players. “We kind of used to it just getting knocked down just for them to see that we gonna prove them wrong again,” the Heisman winner added. “For them to try to build us up again and knock us down again. So I know he used to it. He, we don’t even care no more. We just let the people do what they do.” Well, you can’t please everyone. There’s always going to be someone out there finding fault with everything and anything you do. Someone like Daniel Kelly. 

The former Jets scout turned up the heat on Shedeur Sanders’ NFL Combine non-participation. “The reason,” Kelly said. “He doesn’t want to be exposed in front tof the NFL until the ink dries on his rookie contract — 287/353 (81.3% of his completions in 2024 went to 5 receivers at Colorado).” There’s more. He also weighed in his stance on the QB’s NFL future saying, “I have an undraftable free agent value on Shedeur Sanders’ 2024 Colorado film. That’s what his demonstrated skillset at Colorado translates to as an NFL projection.” But not everyone sees Shedeur the way he does. 

Pat Shurmur weighs in on Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter 

For all the debate over Shedeur Sanders’ draft stocks, Colorado’s OC Pat Shurmur, who is also the former HC of the New York Giants, kept things simple. He merely stated that who goes first depends on which position NFL teams are looking to fill. “If you need a quarterback, draft Shedeur,” he told Buffzone’s Brian Howell. “If you don’t need a quarterback, take Travis. As my daughter would say, it’s not that deep.” But don’t we all just like to complicate things?

Both prospects bring different pitches. Shedeur is confident he can transform a program. “You don’t think I could come to an NFL franchise and change a program again? It’s history. It’s always going to repeat itself,” he said. Meanwhile, Travis is sure he can do literally anything on the football field. “I can do everything for real,” he said. “I can do anything on the football field… I’m definitely different. I’m one of a kind and I call myself a unicorn.” The debate rages on.

Come draft night, the NFL will make its choice. And no matter where they land, Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter are ready to prove that the doubters never really mattered.