Travis Hunter or Shedeur Sanders: The choice the NY Giants might have to make at No. 3
The questions came up countless times this week at the NFL Annual Meeting, and from all corners of the league.
Team executives. Coaches. Agents. Media. Even the most respected insiders in this business were working the rooms seeking out intel of which only an extremely intimate circle around Joe Schoen and Brian Daboll truly have the knowledge.
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If Colorado teammates Travis Hunter and Shedeur Sanders are on the board in three weeks when the New York Giants are on the clock in the NFL Draft, what will they do? What's best for the long-term success of the franchise, and who can have the biggest impact now?
Which player - the quarterback with the famous last name and a history of lifting two programs to new heights or the record-setting, two-way Heisman Trophy-winning star intent on dominating both sides of the ball - would the Giants choose with the No. 3 selection of the first round?
In some ways, the answer is simple. It's also admittedly complicated.
And this reality is also true for Giants brass: it's far from decided.
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Here's the well-timed catch (and pitch) for Hunter and Sanders: their time in the Pro Day spotlight comes Friday afternoon in Boulder during what Colorado is billing as its "NFL Showcase," which will be attended by a significant contingent of Giants decision makers, including Schoen.
Miami quarterback Cam Ward has been widely projected to go to the Tennessee Titans at No. 1 overall, while the Cleveland Browns - despite also searching for a quarterback of the future - are believed to be eyeing Penn State edge rusher Abdul Carter at No. 2.
Jul 21, 2023; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Colorado Buffaloes quarterback Shadeur Sanders (left) and receiver Travis Hunter during Pac-12 Media Day at Resorts World Las Vegas. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
That would leave the Giants in position to take the 23-year-old Sanders if they see him as their quarterback of the future, or the 21-year-old Hunter, the Heisman Trophy-winning two-way star who some scouts believe is the best cornerback and the best wide receiver in the Class of 2025.
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The entire league continues to guess on what the Browns and Giants will do at Nos. 2 and 3. Both teams are doing their best to not be completely transparent, despite what so many think they know. The same three players have been mentioned for both teams for months, but in speaking with numerous sources in recent days, nobody knows for certain.
Sanders is coming off a season where he led Colorado to its first nine-win season since 2016, broke the program record for passing yards in a season (4,134), finished with the highest single-season completion percentage (74%) and threw the most touchdowns in a single season (37).
He is not going to draw oohs and aahs with his arm like Justin Herbert or his wheels like Lamar Jackson, or run people over like Josh Allen. That should not allow what Sanders can't do to lead you away from what he does really well.
In some ways, Sanders is a quarterback from a different age of the NFL. He's a pocket passer who, because of his DNA, is downgraded in part because he is not QB Prime despite being the son of Pro Football Hall of Famer Deion Sanders.
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That should still play in today's game, even if teams spend so much time drooling over unicorns at the position with physical talent to drool over.
Oct 19, 2024; Tucson, Arizona, USA; Colorado Buffalos quarterback Shedeur Sanders (2) with wide receiver Travis Hunter (12) against the Arizona Wildcats at Arizona Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
Longtime ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. believes the Giants and a pairing with Shedeur makes sense in the Big Apple. Among the reasons: it could work in a similar way things just clicked for Eli Manning with Big Blue and another famous NFL father in Archie who was also a big part of his journey.
"You can still win from the pocket," Kiper said. "So, I think, that's still something that Shedeur knows how to do and he does very effectively. Shedeur, also, with Deion, and same thing when you think about Eli with Archie, I think being able to handle pressure and expectations, he does that very well. This whole circus atmosphere people think will come with Shedeur is ridiculous, it's not gonna happen."
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The Giants see Hunter as a prospect who can change the both sides of the ball, likely with his top priority at corner and an uncommon ability to contribute right away on offense, those familiar with the team's thinking throughout the evaluation process told NorthJersey.com and The Record. The difference here would be not just a physical challenge but a mental one for Hunter to learn the defense AND the offense as a rookie, as Daboll noted earlier this week.
That has nothing to do with a lack of intelligence, because by most accounts, Hunter is very sharp. It's not a talent issue, either, with NFL Network analyst Daniel Jeremiah saying: "Travis Hunter is like someone went to the Philadelphia Eagles and took Devonta Smith and Darius Slay, spun him around in a circle and they came out as the same human being."
Only three NFL players have started at WR and CB in the same game since 1980: Antonio Cromartie (2012), Champ Bailey (2000) and Deion Sanders (1996), the latter two having been inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
The only player to do so more than once was Sanders, the head coach for Hunter and Shedeur at both Colorado and Jackson State. Regardless of position, just three players have played 10 or more snaps of both offense and defense in the same game since 2012, per NFL Research.
Nov 29, 2024; Boulder, Colorado, USA; Colorado Buffaloes cornerback Travis Hunter (12) during the second quarter against the Oklahoma State Cowboys at Folsom Field. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images
"I would say that the player that you want to take when you're selecting that high is, does he have to help you right away? I think you just have to have a great plan for that player and you think that player is really going to help your organization," Daboll said. "If that's being a backup for a little while, then that's being a backup for a little while. If you think that's where you want to take that player - If it's to come in and start and play a bunch of plays - that's great too."
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The Giants have done extensive homework on all the quarterbacks, including Sanders, with Schoen and his top personnel aides spending time on campus in Boulder at practice. They'll be back Friday and again once more for their private workout with Sanders.
"The thing that I love about Shedeur is the poise that he plays with and the accuracy and the ball placement – those are two things that I think really translate in his game," ESPN analyst Jordan Reid told NorthJersey.com and The Record.
This is also an opportunity to be on site with Hunter. The Giants have met with him previously, and until recently, the thought was that he would be off the board earlier. That could still be the case. Nothing is settled.
"You want to put the player in there [on the team] and say, 'Hey, here is our franchise quarterback for the next 15 years,'" Schoen said. "There's got to be one available and they've got to check a lot of boxes. ... if [the player] matches up and the value is right, we can look at many positions and take that guy."
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The two likeliest will be on the field Friday where they became first-round picks together.
Giants brass will be watching closely from the sideline, gaining more clarity so that when the clock is ticking, Schoen and Daboll will be ready to turn in the name and embrace the biggest addition to the franchise this offseason.
Will it be Travis Hunter or Shedeur Sanders, or an unforeseen curveball? Only time will tell.
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Travis Hunter or Shedeur Sanders: The choice Giants might have to make
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