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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29. Shavon Revel Jr., CB, East Carolina Pirates

There always has to be a player from the smaller schools to go in the first round. The 22nd-overall pick Quinyon Mitchell came from Toledo last season. Trevor Penning came from Northern Iowa in 2022. Tyler Smith came from Tulsa that same year. Small schools can produce big draft picks. That’s what we’re banking on here with Shavon Reven Jr.

The East Carolina University cornerback has been really good for that conference’s standards in his career, but he has a chance to take a step forward, solidifying his place among the best. Could he make it to the first round? As unlikely as it sounds, he has some tools that say it’s possible.

Reven is actually already starting to move up draft boards. How high can he climb? Could he be the top cornerback taken? That seems extreme, but this could be a draft where four or five cornerbacks go in the first round, and Reven will definitely be in that mix.

This kid is going to dominate the NFL Combine, and that’s where his push to be a first-round pick finalizes. He might be the fastest cornerback in the country. If he’s not number one, there are only a handful that are faster than him. Not only does he have straight-line speed, but he has foot speed that allows him to pivot on a dime. That is going to push his draft stock to abnormal heights for a player from ECU. He could end up being the highest-drafted player in ECU history (Chris Johnson and Robert Jones were both drafted 24th overall).

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