30 college football players who could go from unknown to first-round pick in 2024

Every year, multiple players find themselves outside the NFL Draft conversation, but there's a reason they call 2025 mock drafts "way too early." There are dozens of players hoping to immensely raise their draft stock.

Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl - Ole Miss v Penn State / Todd Kirkland/GettyImages

11 of 30

11. Junior Tafuna, DL, Utah Utes

We are really high on this Utah team for a few reasons. They are coming back with talent at all levels on both offense and defense, and they are in the Big 12 this season, which will help them dominate lesser opponents. There is a ton of middle ground in the Big 12 this season, and there are multiple teams who could end up taking this conference at season’s end, but Utah seems like the team with the best opportunity. That’s going to put their talent on a national stage more often.

No player is going to stand out, short of the quarterback, than defensive lineman Junior Tafuna. The Utah native is spending his last season ever playing football in his home state. That’s going to be special for him, and in every interview, it’s clear he wants it to be a season to remember.

Now, he’s a tank in the middle of that Utes defensive line. He weighs over three bills, and he’s done a good job of breaking through offensive lines or taking on two and three blockers at the same time. He’s the plug, and there are few players in college football as good at closing holes as Tafuna.

There’s a reason he’s on the Bronko Nagurski and Outland Trophy watch lists. He’s shown greatness is in him at times, winning the Pac-12 Freshman Defensive Player of the Year in 2021. It’s been a weird stretch for Utah since then, but a massive push in his final season puts Tafuna in the first round of the NFL Draft.

Home/College Football