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.

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12. Ollie Gordon, RB, Oklahoma State Cowboys

Alright, “unknown” for this one might be a stretch. Ollie Gordon was amazing for Oklahoma State last season. He was the first person in OK State history to win the Doak Walker Award for best running back. Not even Chuba Hubbard won that. However, he did it on an Oklahoma State team that fell under the radar.

This season, eyes will be on Oklahoma State as the Big 12 goes through a revival. Without Oklahoma and Texas, this conference needs a new identity. They missed out on a lot of the biggest teams, as Oregon and USC went over to the Big Ten. So, the Cowboys have a chance to take over the Big 12.

And with the new 12-team College Football Playoff, it doesn’t matter how good or bad the Big 12 is. They receive an automatic big in the Playoff. And that’s where Gordon will become a first-round pick. He will have already racked up an insane amount of yards and dominated play, but scouts will complain about the level of competition in the Big 12. If Gordon then does the same thing against the best of the very best, then he’s going to see his draft stock explode.

So while Gordon isn’t exactly an “unknown” in terms of college football, he isn’t on everyone’s radar when it comes to NFL Draft stock. This could be the next great running back in the league. He could even play his way into the top 10.

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