30 college football players who could go from unknown to first-round pick in 2024
By Nick Villano
College football is many things. It’s one of the great functions of the sports world. It’s this amazing display of athleticism. There is an opportunity for 77,000 students to go to school for free or at a discounted rate while also joining a team as they prepare for their careers. It’s also an economic driver for hundreds of cities across the country, with most of a college town’s consumer spending coming from just a few Saturdays per year. However, most people consider college football as the prerequisite to the NFL.
Football is the biggest sport in the U.S. in terms of dollars and sense. People love football. And they love seeing players build themselves into superstars. Often, we’ll see a player who is relatively unknown or, in some cases, completely unknown become NFL stars.
Just about everyone knew Marvin Harrison Jr. was going in the top five. Caleb Williams was the consensus number-one overall pick for two years. However, Michael Penix was not considered a first-round pick. Ricky Pearsall and Xavier Legette made it into the first round with big final years in college. Who could that be this year?
30 players who could go from unknown to first-round pick in the NFL Draft in 2025
1. Cameron Rising, QB, Utah Utes
Cameron Rising was a talent everyone was paying attention to, but then everything went haywire. A major injury in the 2023 Rose Bowl caused him to miss all of last season. Now, more than 600 days since he last took the field, he’s back and ready to lead the Utah Utes once again.
This is relevant for a few reasons, but let’s start with the obvious. Coming back from a major injury like that will cause teams to be hesitant, but he has a full season to prove he’s 100 percent. He tore just about everything there is to tear in his knee. Doctors had to reconstruct his ACL, meniscus, MPFL, and MCL.
Rising, who is also going to need to overcome the fact he’s just 6’1 in a world where teams fall in love with quarterbacks who tower over most of the team, has one thing working in his favor: he’s playing in the Big 12. The Utah Utes are the favorites to win the Big 12 in their first season within the conference. If they win, they expect to play in the College Football Playoff. On top of that, Rising could put up video game numbers. There is an outside chance he can go from his current status, which is basically undrafted, to a first-round pick.