Denver Broncos could land best player in college football if season continues to go south

Travis Wakeman

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Denver Broncos could land best player in college football if season continues to go south image

The Denver Broncos will face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday and a loss would send them to 0-3. Though the season is young, it could quickly spiral out of control if things don't take a pretty drastic turn. 

NFL Draft experts seem to think that will be the case as any mock draft you open up right now has the Broncos selecting in the top five of next year's draft. If that happens, the team will have a choice of a great prospect.

In his most recent mock draft, Cory Kinnan of Sports Illustrated has the Broncos landing Missouri wide receiver Luther Burden with the No. 3 overall pick in the draft. Many consider him to be the best wide receiver in next year's class, but the top overall player, who Kinnan has going to the Carolina Panthers at No. 1 overall, may very well be Colorado's Travis Hunter. 

Hunter is arguably the best player in college football right now as he plays close to every snap on both sides of the ball for Deion Sanders' Buffaloes. If the Broncos end up with a top-five pick in April, this is a connection you will hear of many times between now and then. 

Hunter is an absolute stud, showing great hands and speed on offense as a wide receiver and terrific instincts and tackling skills as a cornerback on defense. Most general managers and team scouts see his best fit as a cornerback at the professional level.

Travis Hunter could be picked by Broncos in 2025 NFL Draft

Because of how porous the Broncos have been on offense so far this season, there will be a strong argument that the team needs to address that side of the ball early in the draft. Selecting Burden would make sense as it would give Bo Nix a dynamic weapon to get the ball to in the passing game. 

At the same time, passing on Hunter would be incredibly difficult to do. His game appears to have no weaknesses and the idea of lining him up in the same secondary as Pat Surtain II, who is still well within his prime, is tantalizing. 

Many things can and will happen to shake up next year's draft, but Hunter to the Broncos is something to keep tabs on, particularly for fans who are devoted to both the Broncos and the Buffs. 

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Travis Wakeman

Travis Wakeman Photo

Travis Wakeman has been covering the NFL since 2012 when he started with Bleacher Report. After reporting about the Broncos there until 2016, he joined the FanSided network as a site expert covering the San Diego/Los Angeles Chargers while simultaneously covering the Broncos at Broncos Wire when that site launched. He then took over the Broncos site at FanSided in March 2020 and covered the team there until spring of 2024. A lifelong Broncos fan and fan of the game, Travis is filled with sometimes useless NFL knowledge, but it always serves him well in any trivia contest. You can follow him on Twitter/X @traviswakeman10.