Hey, the wanna-be scouts on the Grading The Week staff are unanimous on this one: Travis Hunter walks into the Broncos' starting 11. Right now. And by "starting 11," we mean both of them. Offense. Defense. Whatever he wants.
Hunter wants to stay in Colorado, apparently. Or at least that's what the Buffs' two-way star and Heisman Trophy contender told the "Kickin' It With Dee" podcast a few days back.
"I wish I could go to the Broncos just to stay in Colorado because so (many) people just welcome us with open arms," said Hunter, whose 4-1 Buffs come off this weekend's bye with a massive, prime-time Big 12 showdown against Kansas State on Oct. 12 at Folsom Field. "They show us love that we would never have gotten in a different spot."
There's only one problem: The Broncos and Hunter right now, given both parties' current forms, look like ships passing in the night.
See, the better Hunter plays, the less likely it becomes that the cornerback/wideout from Georgia would still be on the board by the time Denver's on the clock.
And the better the 2-2 Broncos play, especially coming off a 2-0 East Coast trip with three winnable home clashes between now and Halloween against the Raiders (Oct. 6), Chargers (Oct. 13) and Panthers (Oct. 27), the further down the '25 NFL Draft board they'll go.
Most draftniks projected Hunter being selected anywhere from first overall to top 6 or 7, at the worst -- everybody can use a playmaker, regardless of what side of the ball a front office sees Hunter making more of an impact on.
But thanks to those wins on the road, the computer projections aren't sure what to make of the Broncos right now. Kenneth Massey's site pegs Denver to finish 8-9; TeamRankings.com's system says the same. Tankathon.com as of early Saturday morning also predicts a mid-first round slot for the Broncos (18th). If that's the case, the crack GTW team is pretty sure the ink will be dry on Hunter's rookie contract before George Paton's even on the clock.
And on the flip side, Sean Payton's crew have a long, long, long way to go -- 13 games -- to determine their ultimate fate. And Tankathon also says Denver's remaining schedule ranks 10th toughest in the NFL, thanks to two games left with the 4-0 Chiefs and upcoming tussles with Atlanta (3-2) and Baltimore (2-2). As Hunter will learn full well as he transitions to the professional game, moving's not fun, even when you're a millionaire. Who knows? If the football fates turn their backs on the Broncos, maybe he won't have to.
Being a Rockies fan means you're conditioned from birth to find enjoyment out of the Coors Field experience that has absolutely nothing to do with the baseball being played on it. So a visit from the viral, iconoclastic and barnstorming Savannah Bananas, whose on-field routines include choreographed dance numbers, cheerleaders and men in kilts, should be a refreshing change of pace on 20th and Blake.
The good news? They've scheduled a two-day cameo in the Mile High City. Less good? Given that it's set for next Aug. 9 and 10, it'll almost assuredly be the last meaningful set of baseball games played in LoDo for the rest of that summer.