When is Travis Hunter NFL Draft eligible? Exploring the Colorado WR's way too early projection

Travis Hunter played 144 outstanding snaps on Saturday, making decisive plays both on offense and defense, to help Colorado upset No. 17 TCU 45-42. He became the first player in the last 20 seasons to accrue 100 receiving yards and get an interception in a Division I game.

Hunter is a Sanders convert, famous for being a five-star recruit who joined Jackson State when Prime came calling in 2021. The media is now full of Heisman Trophy talk for the young playmaker. Many will be wondering how long before Travis Hunter is shining under the spotlight in the NFL.

Coach Prime is leading a revolution in Boulder.

When is Travis Hunter eligible for the NFL draft?

Travis Hunter will be eligible for the NFL Draft starting from 2025. The 20-year-old star wide receiver/cornerback will not be eligible for the upcoming 2024 NFL Draft as he develops his talents on the college football stage under Colorado head coach Deion Sanders.

On the other hand, his teammate, Shedeur Sanders, 21, would be eligible next year, with some speculating that if he declares, he would be the third-highest-rated quarterback in the draft beyond USC's Caleb Williams and North Carolina's Drake Maye.

Speaking confidently after Saturday's victory, Hunter said:

"Football is football no matter who's playing. You got to go out there and dominate whoever's in their way. I went out there and dominated. A lot of people doubted me because I rated myself as No. 1 on the Heisman watch list. Now, people are praising me.

"They didn't know what I could do. They've finally seen what I've seen, my vision and the coaches' vision for me."

Some players have been able to play both sides of the ball to some success: Julian Edelman, J.J. Watt, Rob Gronkowski, Adoree Jackson and Deion Sanders himself come to mind. But so far, nobody has been able to do it so convincingly as Hunter showed on Saturday.

Mind you, this game could be an anomaly in his D-I career, but if he shows the ability to do this consistently, many pro teams will be interested in acquiring his services. If he does so, he could be to football what Shohei Ohtani has been to baseball: a complete game-changer.

Travis Hunter is evoking comparisons to Angels pitcher and DH Shohei Ohtani

If Travis Hunter is the real deal, he could easily be selected first or top five if there are a lot of top quarterbacks and running backs declaring for his draft year. Again, it is way too early to say this, but we could be watching something entirely new. Heck, Deion Sanders wasn't nearly as talented offensively, and he went No. 5 in the 1989 NFL draft.