With the 62nd pick in the 2015 NFL Draft, the Green Bay Packers selected cornerback Quinten Rollins out of Miami (OH).

Rollins is one of the most intriguing players in this draft class because he only played one year of college football. He was heavily recruited as a football player out of high school, but he decided to play college basketball instead. Then, after four successful seasons as a starter for the college hoops team at Miami (OH), he switched sports when it became clear that an NBA job wasn’t in his future. Rollins essentially walked on for the RedHawks’ football team.

What happened next surprised everyone. Rollins was outstanding on the gridiron. He finished the season as the Mid-American Conference Defensive Player of the Year, totaling 72 tackles (including 52 solo), seven interceptions and nine pass deflections.

Rollins played so well that he got invited to the Senior Bowl and the NFL Combine, and he turned heads at both. Scouts and executives were impressed with his football IQ and his ability to stick opposing wide receivers. At the Senior Bowl, he received praise for playing like a veteran, even though his collegiate career started less than a year ago. Rollins is 5’11 and 195 pounds with mid-4.5 speed, and his athleticism had NFL talent evaluators drooling.

Because Rollins is still developing as a football player, he has a ton of upside. This is a smart move for the Packers, because if he was that effective while playing NCAA football for the first time and trying to figure things out, how productive can Rollins be in a few years once he has developed more, received NFL-level coaching and realized his full potential?

It’ll be very interesting to watch Rollins’ progression in the coming years, as he seems poised to experience success even after taking such a unique route to the NFL.