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

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28. Cam Ward, QB, Miami Hurricanes

The final quarterback on the list might be the one with the most popular name. Cam Ward moved to Miami and has this team back in the hunt. The Miami Hurricanes haven’t been truly in the National Championship conversation in decades. Since the Hurricanes left the Big East and went to the ACC, they haven’t been ranked in the top 10. Not even once.

The hope is that changes in 2024. Florida State, which many thought would be the team that won the ACC this season, lost their first game against Georgia Tech. A team that went undefeated last year and lost their bid to the College Football Playoff because Jordan Travis got hurt lost their first game of the next season. So now, the ACC is wide open.

And that’s where we come to Cam Ward. He’s considered a make-or-break player. He can throw the ball a mile. In Miami, players can go and catch the ball. Ward is on every watchlist imaginable. Many think he’s going to be one of the best players in college football. So then, why isn’t he considered a top QB in this draft class?

It’s an oversight, to be clear. Ward should be considered one of the top QBs in the class. He’s 6-foot-2 and well over 220 pounds. He has the size and the ability to make it happen.

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