New York Giants draft: Making the case — Travis Hunter or Shedeur Sanders

The New York Giants may select one of two Colorado players, depending on the Cleveland Browns’ selection at No. 2 overall. Suppose the Browns select edge defenderer Abdul Carter or make a surprise pick, and Cam Ward goes No. 1 to the Tennessee Titans. In that case, the Giants may choose between Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders or Colorado WR/CB Travis Hunter.

Sanders and Hunter were a dynamic duo in Pat Shurmur’s offense with a shaky offensive line. Sanders threw for 4,134 yards with 37 touchdowns and 10 interceptions in 2024; Hunter caught 96 passes for 1,258 yards with 15 touchdowns. The offense had only a few concepts that were simplified due to the ineffective protection, but Sanders displayed elite toughness through the many hits he absorbed.

Here are my scouting reports on both players:

Shedeur Sanders

Strengths

• Good posture in the pocket – maximizes measurables
• Very good footwork on dropback
• Sturdy and good balance in the pocket – solid overall composure
• Does well to maneuver and navigate within the pocket
• Keeps eyes downfield when pocket gets muddy
• Smoothly gets his body oriented in quick game
• Displayed excellent patience to wait for second/third window throws
• Good fluid OVER THE TOP throwing motion – effortless
• Smart quarterback with sound comprehension on how to attack defenses
• Intelligent pre-to-post snap work
• Plays well within play structure
• Plus asset in a short – rhythmic – passing attack
• Creative mind to improvise (lack of athletic ability and arm talent hold him back from maximizing this skill-set)
• Displayed good anticipation over the middle of the field (seam, DIG)
• Good overall touch and pacing over the MOF
• Understands how to throw between the numbers (timing, placement, touch, etc.)
• Hits the upfield shoulder of WRs on seam and skinny posts over the MOF
• Excellent timing on his passes
• Displayed quality touch and pacing in the red zone
• Above-average overall accuracy
• Distributes the football well in the short-intermediate parts of the field
• Ran an NFL styled offense (Pat Shurmur)
• Very used to playing under pressure – stands tall in the pocket
• Takes massive hits and gets right back up
• Elite toughness

Weaknesses

• Slightly undersized
• Below-average athlete: speed, acceleration, and explosiveness
• Struggled to escape sacks in college (athletic & OL issues)
• OL was poor but developed a tendency to bail cleaner pockets
• Can drift in the pocket too often
• Devastating losses trying to escape sacks
• Tendency to burp the baby before releasing football
• Passes lack velocity
• Ball tends to float – lack of zip
• Below-average arm strength
• Deep passes tend to die in the air
• Accuracy wasn’t always pin-point – especially on short passes outside the numbers
• Lackluster off-platform thrower
• Had tendency to skip or low-ball short passes to his right or left
• Ran NFL concepts but operated mostly out of the shotgun

Sanders is a high processing distributor who operates a quick rhythmic passing attack well, while possessing a creative knack that fails to be fully actualized due to suboptimal athletic ability and arm strength when off platform. Still, Sanders is mechanically sound and flashed WOW throws at each level of the field, albeit not always consistent. Sanders lacks elite physical gifts, but his overall arm talent is solid, especially over the middle of the field. A lack of elite zip and velocity is evident on his tape.

Sanders struggled to escape sacks at the collegiate level; that issue will be gravely exacerbated in the NFL. Yes, his offensive line was VERY POOR, but evading sacks against Big-12 defenders is much easier than NFL defenders, and Sanders tied for most sacks in the entire FBS. He’s not a terrible athlete but his athletic ability is not an asset to his game.

However, Sanders ability to navigate through muddy pockets, stand tall, and deliver strikes before getting hit is very impressive and a testament to his overall toughness, which is elite. Sanders does well targeting in-between the numbers with anticipation and ball placement. He does well to understand the defense pre-to-post snap while operating through NFL concepts in Pat Shurumr’s offense. He’s a quality decision maker who can keep an offense on script and can improvise.

There are a lot of reasons to appreciate Shedeur Sanders’ skills. Yet he does not have the tantalizing physical gifts possessed by many current high-level NFL quarterbacks. He can successfully operate an efficient passing attack predicated on processing and timing. He won’t thrive in every system, but an offense with a stable line that allows him to be the point guard, while efficiently attacking defenses can find success with a player like Shedeur Sanders.

Travis Hunter

Strengths

• Solid height with a lean frame that could add weight
• Rare – ELITE – athlete with exceptional balance and control
• Rare change of direction ability and elite fluidity
• Rare twitch and springy nature
• One of the more sudden athletes to play football in college
• Elite speed and acceleration – has multiple gears and routinely ruins the angles of defenders
• Is a home-run threat on every play
• Elite explosiveness and sensational tempo management
• Exceptional foot speed + solid release package
• Quick stacking threat who can ruin a defender’s day in less than a second
• Uses hands and feet well to release and create immediate separation at the LOS
• Excellent micromovements up his stem, followed by deception and elite – smooth – breaks
• Creates extra separation at the break with elite deceptive movements that he employs well
• Easily breaks off routes and can instantaneously orient to quarterback on curls/comebacks
• Very good route runner with ELITE route running potential
• Understands how to attack/manipulate and run away (when necessary) from defensive leverage/positioning
• Quickly eats into the leverage of off-man coverage – forces DBs onto their heel / inspires fear
• Sensational hand-eye coordination allows him to maximize his already impressive reaction skills
• Attacks the football – ALPHA mentality
• Elite soft hands with an excellent ability to extend away from his frame and locate the ball
• Rare body adjustment and leaping ability to high point
• Unreal concentration and tracking ability
• Excels in Jump ball situations
• Acrobatic Catch Trait
• Found ways to defeat bracket coverage in college
• Rare YAC skills – very tough to track down in space
• Rare short-area quickness and body control – along with processing – make him an excellent MEG man coverage cornerback
• Excellent overall man coverage skills – stays in the hip / tough to create separation against
• Spatially aware zone coverage defender with elite click & close ability downhill
• Very good overall zone cornerback
• Can execute any leverage/coverage assignment
• Has upside to be a shutdown No. 1 CB
• Good feet and jam at the LOS
• Exercises excellent space and understands leverage/depth as CB
• Would bait QBs in coverage to throw downfield – KNOWs his strengths
• High level CB and WR instincts
• Good technique as a CB in coverage – improved in 2024
• Strong challenges at the catch point – is a hawk for the football
• Willing tackler who does a solid overall job
• Not the biggest CB but did have reps where he displayed good play strength to physically harass opposing WRs
• Rare conditioning and stamina
• Elite processing and feel for the game on both sides of the football
• Elite competitive toughness and is reportedly an EXCELLENT young man

Weaknesses

• Slightly undersized with a thin frame
• Play strength against bigger – stronger – receivers in the NFL is fair to question
• Solid release package BUT did have reps where he was eliminated by press
• Not a bad blocker – he tries hard but it’s still a work in progress
• Tackling is not a “weakness” but he lacks difference-making POP on contact
• Shedding blocks vs. TEs – when he can’t dip/go around – isn’t elite
• Has missed games in each of his three collegiate seasons – workload issue?
• Not a “weakness” but coaching staff will have to figure out how to best employ his immense talent – again, what a “problem” to have!

Hunter is a rare – smooth – athlete who may be the best corner and wide receiver in this draft class. There are few players with Hunter’s level of athleticism. The Heisman Trophy winner is elite at creating separation through deceptive route running, including, but not limited to, lethal micromovements throughout his stem that lead to cornerback consternation; he also creates separation with his rare acceleration, change of direction, agility, and home-run ability – Hunter possesses multiple gears and understands how to tempo his pace well to manipulate defenders and maximize space. He is a VERY smart player.

Hunter possesses the acrobatic catch trait and routinely showcases his effortless nature to succeed in contested catch situations. He tracks, locates, attacks, and secures tough passes better than most player’s I’ve watched in college football. Hunter is a dangerous YAC player with sudden movements that consistently make defenders miss – had 24 missed tackles forced in 2024 (tied for 6th most of all WRs). Hunter is a threat at each level of the field, he understands how to run routes (still growth areas which are INSANELY high), and he has reliable hands. Hunter’s ceiling as a wide receiver is very high and that doesn’t even touch what he can offer on defense.

His man coverage skills are elite; he’s sticky in coverage with solid press ability and elite fluidity. Hunter understands defensive leverage and space, while possessing the necessary ability to know where/when his teammates will be in a specific spot while executing zone assignments. Inside/outside – off/press, doesn’t matter; Hunter excels in man coverage. He is a very good zone defender as well. While his strength isn’t elite, it’s not a liability and he is a willing tackler who doesn’t miss many opportunities to tackle. He’s not an enforcer on defense and bigger wide receivers could give him issues when they’re blocking him.

Hunter is the most decorated player in a season throughout the history of college football for good reason. The term unicorn or unique is used too frequently into today’s draft discourse, but Hunter certainly fits both descriptions. He’s a rare talent and reportedly a rare individual off the field. Coaching staffs will have to figure out how to best employ his skills while being cognizant of his workload. It will be team dependent, but a full-time corner with a few offensive packages (third down / red zone) seems to make sense. He can immediately and significantly impact both sides of the football for a team, which is basically unforeseen in recent football memory. The sky is his only limit.

Final thoughts

I’m taking Hunter and allowing the Giants to overhaul their cornerback room while assisting the offense with explosive plays, or just have Hunter play wide receiver next to Malik Nabers. I regard Hunter as a true blue-chip talent. Although quarterbacks are rightfully pushed up on draft boards, I don’t believe Sanders is near a blue-chip talent, even though I appreciate aspects of his skill set and think he could have an adequate career. I don’t see a high ceiling with Sanders, and his overall traits are average. His career could exceed adequacy if he reaches his potential playing within the pocket, throwing with anticipation, and distributing passes in rhythm. Still, I prefer the blue-chip possible TOP-5 talent at two positions, so I would go with Hunter.