NFL Draft Guru Mel Kiper Explains Why He Ranked Travis Hunter No. 1 in His Early Big Board

Travis Hunter is an absolute monster of an athlete — and people like NFL Draft guru Mel Kiper can see that, clear as day. Since arriving in Colorado last year, Hunter has taken his star power to a whole new level. Yes, he found success at Jackson State, but he’s an entirely different animal with the Buffaloes.

This is one of the reasons Kiper has ranked the two-way star as the top prospect in the upcoming draft. In an episode of First Draft, the draft guru explained:

“He was a guy that everyone knew would be spectacular on both sides of the ball. That was the projection, that’s what everybody envisioned, and that’s what he’s become. As a corner, he’s outstanding. As a receiver, 10 catches. He’s gonna have a tonne more than that as the year progresses.”

“You’re looking at a kid here who is, in a word, special,” Kiper continued.

Six tackles, one pass deflection. 17 receptions, 242 yards, 3 touchdowns. Those are the early numbers we’re dealing with when it comes to Travis.

Sure, there are concerns about his health and whether he can maintain this momentum long-term, but most aren’t too worried about that. Instead, the focus is on seeing just how far the 21-year-old can go.

Shedeur Sanders, meanwhile, is a different story altogether.

Kiper questions Sanders after Hunter praise

The Buffaloes were shut down last weekend in an emphatic 28-10 loss, courtesy of Nebraska. Understandably, quarterback Shedeur Sanders faced criticism, with Kiper also weighing in:

“It’s gonna be easy to get down on him. To state the obvious, if you watched the game [against Nebraska], you say, ‘How is he ranked that high?’ But as a quarterback, whatever level you’re playing, you gotta get help from your teammates.”

At the end of the day, this Colorado team is something of an anomaly and that isn’t a mean thing to say. They’re all about star power, and they’re all about making some noise.

Sometimes, that leads to a lot of success in the field — but not always. They aren’t exactly the kind of side that are going to push for the National Championship, and that’s okay. What they are, though, is a school that is capable of getting these kids prepared for the big league.

There’s no guarantee that Sanders is going to make it all the way to the NFL, either. Even if he does, there’s a good chance he’s going to get swallowed up. As for Travis Hunter, that one may come down to him figuring out his priorities.

Does he want to carry on playing both sides of the ball, and if he does, how many NFL teams are willing to roll their dice on someone like that? These are all fascinating questions, and we can’t wait to get some answers.