

Aight, so here’s the deal. You got two of the hottest (polarizing) names in college football turning heads like crazy right now—Travis Hunter and Shedeur Sanders. These boys been tearing it up for Colorado, and the NFL scouts and GMs are eating it up like it’s Thanksgiving dinner. But it’s not all sugar and sunshine—while Travis Hunter’s NFL future seems golden yet uncertain about a never-ending ‘DB or WR’ question, Shedeur’s draft stock got some folks raising eyebrows and scratching their heads. And the wild part?
Three-time natty-winning coach, Urban Meyer hopped onto Colin Cowherd’s show on March 11 and dropped some truth bombs about Shedeur Sanders’ stock and Hunter’s NFL future. When Colin hit him with the most-asked question of the season—’Does Travis Hunter play both sides of the football in the NFL’ while taking about Abdul Carter potentially going 1st overall pick in the 2025 draft?’—Urban didn’t even hesitate while giving flowers. “That it’d be hard for me to not take Travis Hunter with that first pick. Uh, I just—I love that guy. I think he’s a once-in-a-generation, once-in-a-lifetime player. He can do things that I’ve not seen people do. His stamina, the quality of kid that—I’ve done some homework on him. We covered him a few times. He’s big. I want to say he’s close to 6’3”. We had him on our set with us, and I was shocked how big he is. So, I think it’s either Travis Hunter, or it’s gonna be Abdul Carter.”
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But Meyer wasn’t done keeping it real. When Cowherd asked him which position Hunter should play—cornerback or wideout—Urban hit the gas and never looked back. “Coaches probably want him to play receiver because you can get the ball to him 12 times,” Colin Cowherd hinted. Urban Meyer laid it out: “I would never say this—other than that guy—I’d play him both ways.”
Yeah, you heard that right. An exception for Hunter. That’s how different he is. Meyer’s all in on the idea of him playing both CB and WR in the league Coaches might want him at WR just so they can force-feed him the rock 12 times a game, but Meyer? He’s saying the league gotta let this man do both. Period.
The numbers don’t lie; 92 receptions, 1,152 yards, 14 TDs as a wideout. And on defense? 31 tackles, 11 pass breakups, and four picks. Oh, and let’s not forget the most ridiculous stat of all—over 1,400 snaps on offense and defense combined. That’s damn near 120 plays a game. He was out there like he got infinite stamina in real life. The reward? A Heisman Trophy, the Bednarik Award (best defensive player), and the Biletnikoff Award (best wide receiver). No one ever did that before. Now, if Hunter’s stock is shooting up like a SpaceX launch, Shedeur Sanders’ stock is doing the Cha Cha Slide—one step forward, two steps back. Just a couple months ago, he was floating as a potential top-5 pick. Now? Some mock drafts got him sliding to the mid-first, even late-first round. So what happened?
Urban Meyer spills the ugly truth on Shedeur Sanders’ Draft stock
Urban Meyer kept it 100 when Colin Cowherd asked why Shedeur’s stock is on the decline. “Again, I did a little research because our Big Noon—our Triple Option podcast is going to the draft, and I called a GM friend of mine. And he’s (Shedeur Sanders) really—he slipped a little bit here, yeah. And the reason he’s slipping is they’re looking at the competition that he played.” Meyer ain’t fully buying that excuse, though.
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Can Travis Hunter redefine the NFL by playing both sides, or is it just a pipe dream?
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“What I saw—I saw a guy that’s athletic enough to get out of trouble. Live arm. Stays alive. Uh, competes his butt off. And he’s always on the run because his offensive line struggled—certainly last year.” Ain’t no cap there. Shedeur put up 4,134 yards, 37 TDs, and 10 picks on 74% completion in 2024. Dude was Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year, won the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award, and kept the Buffs competitive despite getting sacked 42 times. Yeah, you read that right—42 sacks. If it wasn’t for his pocket awareness and quick trigger, that number might’ve been 60.
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But here’s the real issue that’s got NFL GMs scratching their heads. Meyer hit on the biggest red flag holding Shedeur back: “There’s a concern about if he can make the throw in the tight windows. Because in the Big 12 Conference, he didn’t have to do that very much. And you look at his big plays—a lot of them were on the run. And, you know, that’s not necessarily what they’re looking for in the NFL. They want a guy to drop back and make that tight-window throw. There’s some question marks if he can do that.“
And that right there is the problem. In the Big 12, defenses give quarterbacks more space to cook. Less press coverage, bigger throwing lanes, more wide-open shots. Shedeur made a ton of plays outside the pocket, but in the league? That ain’t the move. NFL coaches want a QB who can sit in the pocket and thread the needle against DBs running 4.3s while having a 3-4 second max throwing window period at pocket.
Basically, NFL GMs aren’t sold on Shedeur’s ability to throw into tight coverage. They’re saying Sanders’ son has been living off that backyard football style—rolling out of the pocket and making plays on the move. And while that’s fire in college, the NFL wants that QB who can drop back and sling it like a sniper. If he can’t prove he’s got that pinpoint accuracy, the fall could be rough.
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As things stand, Travis Hunter’s looking like the golden child while Shedeur Sanders is fighting to keep his draft stock from slipping even further. But you know how the draft game goes. It’s all talk until someone’s name gets called first. But if Meyer’s word is anything to go by, Travis Hunter might just end up the two-way star in the modern NFL. Either way, draft season’s about to be a wild ride.
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Debate
Can Travis Hunter redefine the NFL by playing both sides, or is it just a pipe dream?