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CU at the NFL Draft
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First … A look back at the 2025 NFL Draft
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.
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Shedeur Sanders becomes the first CU quarterback drafted since 1997
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.
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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.
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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.
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The following Buffs signed free agent contracts after the NFL Draft:
- 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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Colorado tied for No. 23 on the all-time list of NFL draftees
From Winsipedia.com …
The list (heading into the 2026 NFL Draft) …
- No. 20 … Pittsburgh … 307
- No. 21 … Auburn … 303
- No. 22 … Purdue … 295
- No. 23T … Colorado … 293
- No. 23T … Minnesota … 293
- No. 25 … Florida State … 289
- No. 26 … Iowa … 287
- No. 27 … Arkansas … 286
- No. 28 … Clemson … 283
- No. 29 … Stanford … 280
- No. 30 … Mississippi … 271
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All-time Big-12 NFL Draft Picks (Overall FBS Rank) …
- 1. Colorado (23T) … 293
- 2. Arizona State (33) … 256
- 3. Baylor (35) … 249
- 4. TCU (44) … 217
- 5. West Virginia (48) …201
- 6. Arizona (50) …191
- 7. Houston (51) …189
- 8. Utah (54) …178
- 9. Oklahoma State (56) … 176
- 10. Kansas (57) …175
- 11. Texas Tech (61) …170
- 12. Kansas State (67) …156
- 13. BYU (68) …153
- 14. Cincinnati (71) …135
- 15. Iowa State (72) …132
- 16. Central Florida (98) … 52
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All Time First Round NFL Draft picks …
- 1. Ohio State … 95
- 2. USC … 86
- 3. Alabama … 84
- 4. Notre Dame … 71
- 5. Miami … 68
- 6. Florida … 59
- 7. Texas … 58
- 8. Michigan …55
- 9. LSU … 53
- 10. Georgia … 52
- 11. Oklahoma … 51
- 12. Tennessee …48
- 13. Florida State …47
- 14. Penn State … 44
- 15. Clemson … 40
- 16T. UCLA …37
- 16T. Texas A&M …36
- 18. Michigan State …36
- 19. Nebraska …34
- 20. Auburn … 32
- 21T. Washington … 31
- 21T. Wisconsin … 31
- 23T. California … 27
- 23T. Pittsburgh … 27
- 23T. North Carolina … 27
- 26T. Arizona State … 26
- 26T. Iowa … 26
- 28T. Colorado (2nd/Big 12) … 25
- 28T. Stanford … 25
- 28T. Oregon … 25 (which includes former Buff Christian Gonzalez) …
- 31T. Arkansas … 23
- 31T. Ole Miss … 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;
— Twelve times in Colorado history, an undergraduate has declared for the NFL Draft, the most recent being Travis Hunter in the 2025 Draft. All twelve players were drafted, with offensive lineman Will Sherman barely keeping the streak alive in 2021, going to New England in the sixth round;
— Colorado has had 25 first-round draft picks in NFL history. Listed below are the seven Buffs who were were selected in the Top Ten of the first round:
- #2 (2025) Travis Hunter, WR/CB, Jacksonville
- # 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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