Growing up in South Carolina, Sincere Brown was like a lot of his peers, dreaming of one day playing in the NFL.
Working out for NFL scouts at Colorado’s pro day on March 31 brought some reality that the dream isn’t as far-fetched as it might have been on the playgrounds in South Carolina.
Brown is one of several former Buffs hoping to get a call from an NFL team this weekend and hear their name on ESPN during the seven-round draft.
“Thatap a dream,” Brown said with a smile. “Something you dream about since you’ve been a kid.”
The NFL Draft will open with the first round on Thursday, followed by rounds two and three on Friday and the last four rounds on Saturday.
Brown was one of 19 graduated players from the 2025 CU team that worked out for scouts on March 31 and now go into this weekend hoping to get a shot at their dream.
For CU, though, draft weekend won’t be anything like it was a year ago, when Buffs grabbed the headlines.
Receiver/cornerback Travis Hunter was the , matching the highest draft position ever for a former CU player.
Garnering even more attention was the epic fall of quarterback Shedeur Sanders, which dominated discussion throughout draft weekend. Projected as a possible top-10 pick, Sanders fell all the way to the fifth round, .
Overall, four players from CU were drafted in 2025, matching the most draft picks in one year for the program in the last 22 years. There were also four in 2006, 2011 and 2017.
This year, itap very possible no Buffs will be drafted, which was also the case from 2022-2024.
and both posted recent seven-round mock drafts that included no CU players. CBS, in fact, ranked 472 draft prospects, with no Buffs on the list. Another site, , has cornerback Preston Hodge listed as CU’s top draft prospect, at No. 416 overall. There are only 257 draft spots available, however.
There are several Buffs who could get opportunities as late round picks or as undrafted free agents. That list includes Brown, offensive linemen Zy Crisler and Xavier Hill, defensive lineman Amari McNeill, defensive ends Keaten Wade and Arden Walker and Hodge. Quarterback Kaidon Salter could also get a chance.
At 6-feet, 5 inches, Brown is a big target at receiver, and he’s got great speed, posting a 4.38-second 40-yard dash at pro day.
Hill is a 6-foot-3, 313-pound lineman who posted impressive numbers for his size in the vertical leap (30 inches) and 40-yard dash (4.99 seconds) at pro day.
“I trust my (game) tape, so just being able to put out those ability numbers, thatap all I wanted to do,” he said.
Hill is a three-year starter who began his collegiate career at LSU, followed by two seasons at Memphis before playing last year as CU. Hill played 2,792 snaps in college, and has proven his versatility by lining up at several positions.
“Most of the scouts I talk to, they see me somewhere on the interior, whether I have the ability to snap and play center or either of the guard positions,” he said. “But like I said, whatever the team needs.”
Other Buffs, including Crisler, Hodge, McNeill, Wade and Walker, could be intriguing options for NFL teams, too, as they’ve all had big moments as college players, but not consistently. Salter could get an opportunity, too. He didn’t have a good season in his lone year at CU, but the former Liberty star has a lot of experience under his belt and could get a chance to participate in a camp.
For now, the NFL dream is still alive for all of them, and they’ll be on alert throughout the weekend.
“One hundred precent,” Walker said when asked if he’ll watch the draft coverage. “I got some of my guys, my big brothers (friends) that are playing in the NFL right now, they’re coming to see me. I’m just very appreciative of them to support me through this journey and the process, as well. I’m glad because I’m gonna be at their same level in a couple months.”
