CU at the NFL Draft

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CU at the NFL Draft

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Buffs sign free agent contracts

So far … the following Buffs have signed NFL free agent contracts:

• Safety Cam’Ron Silmon-Craig … Jacksonville Jaguars
• Safety Shilo Sanders … Tampa Bay Buccaneers
• Defensive end BJ Green … Jacksonville Jaguars
• Wide receiver Will Sheppard … Tampa Bay Buccaneers

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Jimmy Horn taken in the sixth round by the Carolina Panthers 

Press release from CUBuffs.com … Jimmy Horn Jr. was drafted by the Carolina Panthers in the sixth round with the 208th overall pick of the 2025 NFL Draft on Saturday.

Horn was drafted just minutes after teammate LaJohntay Wester, who was selected with the 203rd overall pick by the Baltimore Ravens. Along with Travis Hunter and Wester, this is the first time three wide receivers have been drafted out of CU in the same draft in school history.

Horn is the sixth player out of CU to be drafted by the Panthers and the first in 21 years since ILB Sean Tufts was drafted in the sixth round of the 2004 draft.

Horn started and played the first 11 games in 2024, missing most of the last three due to injury.  He had 37 receptions for 441 yards and a touchdown, and also averaged 21.0 yards per kickoff return and 10.3 yards per punt return.

In two seasons in Boulder, had 95 receptions for 1,108 yards and 7 touchdowns. Including two seasons at South Florida, he played in 46 career games with 162 receptions for 2,067 yards and 11 touchdowns.

He is the 280th all-time draft pick in CU history and the 290th player that played at CU at some point and was drafted into the league.

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LaJohntay Wester taken in the sixth round by the Baltimore Ravens

Press release from CUBuffs.com … LaJohntay Wester was drafted by the Baltimore Ravens in the sixth round with the 203rd overall pick of the 2025 NFL Draft Saturday.

In his one season in Boulder, he played in all 13 games and started 12 for the Buffaloes and finished with 74 receptions for 931 yards and 10 touchdowns.  He also added 12.2 yards in punt returns on 10 returns including a 76 yard touchdown return against Utah.

His 74 receptions ranks seventh in CU history, his 931 yards rank 12th and his 10 touchdowns rank fourth, and he and Travis Hunter (15) are the only duo both with 10-plus touchdown receptions in a season.

His top catch arguably was against Baylor on the final play of the game when he caught a 43-yard bomb from Shedeur Sanders to tie the game and the Buffs would go on to win 38-31.  He had three multiple-touchdown games in 2024.

Wester began his career at Florida Atlantic and he left college football as the sixth-leading receiver of all time with 326 receptions and ended his career as the active leader in consecutive games with a reception with 50.

Wester is the fourth player drafted by the Ravens and the first in 14 seasons since they took Jimmy Smith in the first round of the 2011 draft.  A total of 10 players have played for the Ravens from the Buffaloes, most recently DT Josh Tupou, who joined the team last season.

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Shedeur Sanders becomes the first CU quarterback drafted since 1997 (at No. 144 – 6th pick of the 5th round)

… To quote Gerald Ford: “Our long national nightmare is over” … 

Press release from CUBuffs.com …  Shedeur Sanders was selected by the Cleveland in the fifth round with the 144th overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.

He is the 16th selection from CU in Cleveland Browns history but first since 2012 when OG Ryan Miller was also a fifth round pick for the Browns.  He is the eighth quarterback drafted in CU history.

Sanders won the Johnny Unitas award as the top quarterback in college football in 2024, when we was named first-team All-American by multiple publications and second-team by the AP.  He was the unanimous choice for the Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year and named first-team All-Big 12 by all the publications that pick the team.

He completed 353-of-477 passes (74.0%) for 4,134 yards with 37 touchdowns and 10 interceptions with an NFL QB rating of 117.0 and college passer rating of 165.9.  In two seasons at CU, he completed 651-of-907 (71.8%) passes for 7,364 yards with 64 touchdowns and 13 interceptions, breaking the FBS record for career completion percentage.

One of the most accomplished quarterbacks in college football history, he completed 1,267-of-1,808 (70.1%) for 14,353 yards with 134 touchdowns and 27 interceptions.  He threw a touchdown in an NCAA Division I record 49 straight games and is only one of two D1 quarterbacks to throw for 14,000 yards and complete 70 percent of his career passes.

Despite only playing two seasons in Boulder, he owns over 100 school records including career passing touchdowns, passer rating and completion percentage, the top two passing seasons for completion percentage and QB rating and two of the top three for passing yards, touchdowns, interception percentage, 300-yard games and games with 3-plus touchdown passes.

Sanders is the 278th player from CU drafted overall and the 288th player that played at CU that was drafted, the other 10 transferring out of CU prior to being drafted.

A total of 20 Buffs have suited up for the Browns previously and Sanders could be the 21st and first since Tedric Thompson in 2021.  The two have a long history dating back 72 seasons when the Browns took G Tom Cain in the 1953 NFL Draft.  In 1956, the Browns drafted G Frank Clark in the fifth round and he was the first player to suit up in a game for the Browns.

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Travis Hunter becomes the second No. 2 overall pick for CU in NFL Draft history

CU Press Release …

The Colorado Buffaloes’ Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter was selected by the Jacksonville Jaguars with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, become the highest drafted cornerback and second-highest drafted wide receiver in NFL history.

Matching the highest draft pick in CU history alongside Bo Matthews (No. 2 overall to the San Diego Chargers in 1974), Hunter is just the fourth top 5 pick in CU history also joining Byron White (No.4 to the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1938) and Michael Westbrook (No. 4 to the Washington Redskins in 1995).

Hunter became the most decorated player in college football history last year being named the consensus national player of the year by winning the Heisman Trophy, Walter Camp Award and both the AP and Sporting News Player of the Year honors.  He was also repeated as the Paul Hornung Award (most versatile player) while winning the Bednarik Award and Lott IMPACT Trophy as national defensive player of the year and the Biletnikoff Award as the best receiver regardless of position.

One of only three college football players to win eight major awards, he was also a unanimous first-team All-American, earning seven first-team (and eight overall) honors from the five publications the NCAA uses to determine unanimous and consensus honors.  He is the first player in the history of the Walter Camp All-America team, the nation’s oldest, to earn two first-team honors, and is the first known player to earn two first-team and three overall honors on the AP team.  The other publications three only allow mention at one position.

Also a high scholar athlete, he was named first-team Academic All-American by College Sports Communicators was named the Academic All-American of the Year, just the second in school history, for all of Division I Football, and is a two-time member of CU’s 4.0 club.

He finished his junior season with 96 receptions for 1,258 yards and 15 touchdowns, setting new CU records for receiving touchdowns while finishing second in receptions and third in receiving yards.  He set a CU record with eight 100-yard games and led CU in scoring with 96 points, 16 touchdowns (one rushing).  On defense, he had 36 tackles, four interceptions and 11 pass breakups, leading the FBS with 1,483 snaps which included 86.8% of offensive and 82.9% of defensive snaps for CU.  PFF graded him at 89.7 for receivers, the best in the Power 4 with 500-plus snaps, and he was one of only two defensive players to grade out over 90 percent in coverage at the P4 level.

Hunter finished his CU career with 153 receptions for 1,989 yards and 20 touchdowns, adding a rushing touchdown for 21 total scores on offense, and with 67 tackles, seven interceptions, 16 pass breakups and a force fumble on defense.  He played an astonishing 2,625 snaps in two seasons despite missing what amounted to almost five games due to injury, leading the FBS in snaps in both 2023 and ’24.

CU x Jacksonville Jaguars Notes 

• Hunter is the third player from CU drafted by the Jacksonville Jaguars, the first since WR Laviska Shenault in 2020.
• He is the second cornerback and second wide receiver selected by Jacksonville.  CB Chris Hudson (3rd round, 71st pick, 1995) and Shenault (2nd round, 42nd pick, 2020) are the only other two players drafted by the Jaguars out of CU.

CU x First Round Draft Pick Notes

• Hunter is the highest-drafted cornerback in NFL history, and the second defensive back to be taken with the second pick, joining S Eric Turner, also by Cleveland, in 1991.
• He is the second-highest wide receiver ever drafted, matching Calvin Johnson as the No. 2 pick (Detroit, 2007) and only behind Keyshawn Johnson (New York Jets, 1996).
• Hunter is CU’s second No. 2 overall pick joining Bo Matthews (San Diego Chargers, 1974), and just the fourth top 5 pick in CU history, the other two being Byron White (No. 4, Pittsburgh, 1938) and Michael Westbrook (No. 4, Washington, 1995).
• He is the 25th first round pick in CU history and the 26th player that played at Colorado that was drafted in the first round, and the 33rd player from CU drafted in the top 32 picks of a draft.
• He is the highest drafted wide receiver and cornerback in CU history, topping WR Michael Westbrook (No. 4, Washington, 1995) and CB Mark Haynes (No. 8, New York Giants, 1980).
• He is the third cornerback taken in the first round from CU, joining Deon Figures (No. 23, Pittsburgh, 1993) and Jimmy Smith (No. 27, Baltimore, 2011).  Christian Gonzales, who started his career at CU before transferring to Oregon, as the No. 17 pick in the 2023 NFL Draft by New England.
• He is the fourth receiver taken out of CU in the first round, joining Westbrook, Mike Pritchard (No. 13, Atlanta, 1991) and Rae Carruth (No. 27, Carolina, 1997).
• Jacksonville becomes the 18th NFL franchise to draft a CU player in the first round.

CU x Overall Draft Pick Notes

• Hunter is the 277th player from CU drafted overall and the 287th player that played at CU that was drafted, the other 10 transferring out of CU prior to being drafted.
• Hunter is the 21st wide receiver to be drafted out of CU.
• Hunter is the 23rd cornerback to be drafted out of CU.
• Hunter is the 12th underclassmen to be drafted out of CU as all 12 underclassmen that declare for the draft have now been drafted, and the third underclassmen to be drafted in the first round.

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Travis Hunter, Shedeur Sanders … and then who? 

Will any other Buffs be taken in the NFL Draft other than Travis Hunter and Shedeur Sanders? Most of the full seven-round mock drafts say “no”.

The Athletic has a breakdown of all draft-eligible players. How The Athletic NFL Draft Guide has the following ratings for the 16 Buffs who participated in CU’s Pro Day …

• Travis Hunter … No. 1 cornerback; No. 1 overall … 1st round
• Shedeur Sanders … No. 2 quarterback; No. 34 overall … 1st-2nd round
• Jimmy Horn, Jr. … No. 32 wide receiver … 6th-7th round
• Mark Vassett … No. 10 punter … free agent
• LaJohntay Wester … No. 35 wide receiver … free agent
• Shilo Sanders … No. 43 safety … free agent
• BJ Green II … No. 46 edge rusher … free agent
• Will Sheppard … No. 47 wide receiver … free agent
• Justin Mayers … No. 71 guard … free agent
• Cam’Ron Silmon-Craig … No. 86 safety … free agent
• Chidozie Nwankwo … No. 97 defensive tackle … free agent
• Shane Cokes … No. 104 defensive tackle … free agent
• LaVonta Bentley … No. 113 linebacker … free agent
• Kardell Thomas … No. 115 guard … free agent
• Herman Smith III … No. 237 safety … free agent
• Travis Jay … No. 254 safety … free agent

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Looking Back … No Buffs taken in 2024 NFL Draft

Last April, for the 3rd year in a row, no players from the University of Colorado were selected in the NFL Draft. It’s the first time in NFL draft history (dating back to 1936) that CU had gone 3 consecutive years without a player being selected.

CU 2024 seniors who signed NFL free agent contracts:

• LB Derrick McLendon … Carolina Panthers
• DL Leonard Payne … Miami Dolphins
• WR Xavier Weaver … Arizona Cardinals
• DL Jalen Sami … Miami Dolphins (mini-camp)

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Trivia Time … Who was the last Buff taken in the NFL Draft? 

So … If no Buffs have been taken in the last three drafts, who was the last Buff to hear his name called at the NFL Draft?

The answer, it turns out, depends on how you look at it.

There were no CU players taken in the 2024 NFL Draft, but one was taken in the 2023 NFL Draft, and two were taken in the 2022 NFL Draft … sort of.

If you check out the CUBuffs.com official CU record book, you will find three “Buffs” listed as being taken in the last two NFL Drafts:

2023

• 225. Brenden Rice, WR, LA Chargers (7)

2022

• 17. Christian Gonzalez, CB, New England (1)
• 102. Mekhi Blackmon, CB., Minnesota (3)

Yeah, but … Christian Gonzalez played his final collegiate season at Oregon, while Mekhi Blackmon and Brenden Rice finished their careers as USC Trojans.

So, if you aren’t going to take the CU record book at face value, then the answer to the trivia question is …

• 157. Will Sherman, OT, New England (6) … with Sherman being drafted as part of the 2021 NFL Draft four years ago.

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Colorado at No. 28 on the all-time list of NFL draftees

From DraftHistory.com … Colorado was a regular in the Top 25 of all-time NFL Draft picks until the recent drought pushed the Buffs out of the list. Just three years ago, CU was at No. 23 in all-time draftees, with 276, but with Colorado stuck on that number, the Buffs have fallen behind Florida State (now at 288), Minnesota (now at 281), Arkansas (now at 281), and Stanford (now at 279). Last year, Clemson (280) also passed CU, with Iowa now tied with the Buffs at 276.

The list (heading into the 2025 NFL Draft) …

• No. 22 … Purdue … 294
• No. 23 … Florida State … 288
• No. 24T … Arkansas … 281
• No. 24T … Minnesota … 281
• No. 26 … Clemson … 280
• No. 27 … Stanford … 279
• No. 28T … Colorado … 276
• No. 28T … Iowa … 276
• No. 30 … Mississippi … 261

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Big-12 Draft Picks (Overall FBS Rank) …

• 1.  Colorado (28T) … 276
• 2. Arizona State (33) … 255
• 3. Baylor (35) … 249
• 4. TCU (43) … 215
• 5. West Virginia (47) …199
• 6. Houston (48) …188
• 7. Arizona (50) …187
• 8. Utah (52) …177
• 9. Oklahoma State (57) … 172
• 10. Kansas (57) …172
• 11. Texas Tech (59) …171
• 12. BYU (64T) …153
• 13. Kansas State (64T) …153
• 14. Cincinnati (69) …134
• 15. Iowa State (71) …128
• 16. Central Florida (115) … 50

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All Time First Round NFL Draft picks (CU could move into the Top 25 again after the 2025 Draft) …

• 1. Ohio State … 91
• 2. USC … 86
• 3. Alabama … 82
• 4. Notre Dame … 71
• 5. Miami … 67
• 6. Florida … 59
• 7. Michigan …52
• 8. LSU … 52
• 9. Oklahoma … 51
• 10. Georgia … 49
• 11. Texas … 48
• 12T. Tennessee …47
• 12T. Florida State …47
• 14. Penn State … 42
• 15. Clemson … 40
• 16. UCLA …37
• 17T. Michigan State …36
• 17T. Texas A&M …36
• 19. Nebraska …34
• 20. Auburn … 32
• 21. Washington … 31
• 22. Wisconsin … 30
• 23T. California … 27
• 23T. Pittsburgh … 27
• 25T. Arizona State … 26
• 25T. Iowa … 26
• 25T. North Carolina … 26
• 28. Stanford … 25
• 29. Colorado (2nd/Big 12) … 24
• 30. Arkansas … 23

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Quirky CU Draft Facts 

— On two occasions, CU Buffs have been “Mr. Irrelevant”, the last choice in the NFL Draft. In 1977, the Minnesota Vikings selected fullback Jim Kelleher, while in 1984 the Los Angeles Raiders selected quarterback Randy Essington. CU was the only school with two players earning this distinction until South Carolina had the final players of the 2009 and 2013 drafts;

— Eleven times in Colorado history, an undergraduate has declared for the NFL Draft, two of the most recent being Isaiah Oliver in the 2018 Draft and Laviska Shenault in the 2020 Draft. All eleven players were drafted, with offensive lineman Will Sherman keeping the streak alive in 2021, going to New England in the sixth round;

— CU has never had the No. 1 overall draft pick, but has had the No. 2 overall pick, with fullback Bo Matthews going No. 2 to San Diego in the 1974 NFL Draft.

Colorado has had 24 first-round draft picks in NFL history. Listed below are the six Buffs who were were selected in the Top Ten of the first round:

• # 2 (1974) Bo Matthews, FB, San Diego
• # 4 (1938) Byron White, HB, Pittsburgh
• # 4 (1995) Michael Westbrook, WR, Washington
• # 7 (1974) J. V. Cain, TE, St. Louis
• # 8 (1980) Mark Haynes, CB, N.Y. Giants
• #10 (1997) Chris Naeole, OG, New Orleans

— In the 1977 draft, five Buffs were selected in the second round, with all five taken within 18 picks of each other;

— In the 1996 draft, CU had only seven seniors available, with five of those players being drafted (and a sixth player signing as a free agent). The five players drafted were: OG Heath Irwin (4th round; New England); DE Daryl Price (4th round; San Francisco); C Bryan Stoltenberg (6th round; San Diego); CB T.J. Cunningham (6th round; Seattle); and DT Kerry Hicks (7th round; Carolina);

— In the decade between 1991 and 2000, Colorado had 58 players drafted, second in the nation. In the most recent decade, 2010 to 2019, Colorado had … 15.

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CU NFL Draftees – It’s been pretty quiet decade-plus for Buffs

In the past 15 drafts, there have been 12 Aprils with fewer than three Buffs taken. In only 2011, 2017, and 2020 did CU have at least three former players selected.

The past decade-plus of CU players selected in the NFL draft:

2010 (0)

2011 (4)
17. Nate Solder, OT, New England (1)
27. Jimmy Smith, CB, Baltimore (1)
118. Jalil Brown, CB, Kansas City (4)
227. Scotty McKnight, WR, N.Y. Jets (7)

2012 (2)
160. Ryan Miller, OG, Cleveland (5)
231. Tony Clemons, WR, Pittsburgh (7)

2013 (2)
109. David Bakhtiari, OT, Green Bay (4)
172. Nick Kasa, TE, Oakland (6)

2014 (1)
45. Paul Richardson, WR, Seattle (2)

2015 (0)

2016 (0)

2017 (4)
60. Chidobe Awuzie, CB, Dallas (2)
66. Ahkello Witherspoon, CB, San Francisco (3)
111. Tedric Thompson, SS, Seattle (4)
246. Jordan Carrell, DT, Dallas (7)

2018 (1)
58. Isaiah Oliver, CB, Atlanta (2)

2019 (1)
187. Juwann Winfree, WR, Denver (6)

2020 (3)
42. Laviska Shenault, WR, Jacksonville (2)
103. Davion Taylor, LB, Philadelphia (3)
226. Arlington Hambright, OL, Chicago (7)

2021 (1)
197. Will Sherman, OL, New England (6)

2022 (2)

17. Christian Gonzalez, CB, New England (1)*
102. Mekhi Blackmon, CB, Minnesota (3)*

2023 (0)

2024 (1)

225. Brenden Rice, WR, LA Chargers (7)*

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*Didn’t play final season at CU

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