Shedeur Sanders to Giants, Travis Hunter to Patriots on Field Yates' NFL Mock Draft

Colorado's two biggest stars won't have to wait long to hear their names called during the 2025 NFL draft.

At least if ESPN's Field Yates is to be believed.

Yates released his latest mock draft Wednesday, and it features Buffaloes quarterback Shedeur Sanders going to the New York Giants at No. 3 and cornerback/wide receiver Travis Hunter going to the New England Patriots at No. 4.

They are the first two players picked after the Tennessee Titans select Miami quarterback Cam Ward at No. 1 and the Cleveland Browns select Penn State pass-rusher Abdul Carter at No. 2.

Some might be surprised to see the Giants draft a quarterback at No. 3 in the same offseason they added Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston, but neither of those options are the long-term answer under center for the NFC East team.

"If the team is bullish on Sanders being its franchise quarterback, the veteran signings are irrelevant," Yates wrote. "This would be a move about the future and stability."

It would also give Sanders the opportunity to learn under Wilson as he adjusts to the NFL level before eventually taking over in the future. That formula has worked for other quarterbacks such as Patrick Mahomes before, and it may even buy head coach Brian Daboll and general manager Joe Schoen more time to build a winner.

As for the Patriots, they are likely looking to go best player available at No. 4 with Drake Maye in place as their long-term answer at quarterback. This is something of a best-case scenario for the AFC East team with two signal-callers going in the first three picks.

Two quarterbacks going in the top three would guarantee it the chance to land either Carter or Hunter.

Hunter won the Heisman Trophy this past season with his ability to impact the game on both sides of the ball, and the Patriots could look to deploy him as both a pass-catcher and key member of a secondary that already includes Christian Gonzalez and Carlton Davis III.

Perhaps over time they would use him on one side of the ball as he further establishes his skill set in the NFL, but there could be some early experimenting in his rookie season.