Friday's Colorado Pro Day was not like the usual Pro Day. Beyond the presence of head coach and Pro Football Hall of Famer Deion Sanders, the event featured two of the top prospects in the upcoming draft.
As Deion sees it, quarterback Shedeur Sanders and cornerback/receiver Travis Hunter are the top two prospects.
"It's tremendous," Sanders said, via Jeff Legwold of ESPN.com. "They should be going 1-2 [in the draft], that's the way I feel about it. They are the two best players in this draft. . . . The surest bets in this draft are those two young men, and I didn't stutter or stammer when I said that."
It's predictable he'd say it, but he's not far off. Many regard Miami quarterback Cam Ward as the top overall prospect, with either the Titans taking Ward or trading the pick to a team that will. But Shedeur and Hunter are right there, in the conversation.
The Browns will likely get their pick of either player. And Cleveland's contingent included owner Jimmy Haslam.
"[I] spoke to the owner, truly delightful," Deion said." He was engaging. . . I think one of those guys is going to be there [at No. 2]."
One of them definitely will be there for the Browns, unless they trade down. (Which they arguably should do.) The reality is that both likely will be on the board when the second pick is on the clock. And the Browns will be able to choose either one, if the Browns stay put.
History tells us that Shedeur Sanders's and Travis Hunter's best overall interests would be served by landing with better overall organizations. But last year's apparent plan to make a power play for either or both of them has evolved into acceptance of the NFL's "an honor and a privilege" sorting-hat approach, where the player has no control over the process — and where any effort to push back against a system that strips the player of his freedom of choice makes him a target for widespread criticism.
Both have the confidence that they can turn around a lost franchise. Maybe they're good enough to do it. Or maybe they're too young to acknowledge that one player can't transform a dysfunctional organization and too unwilling to accept the natural, albeit unfair, consequences of trying to buck the status quo.
