Each year, an unknown player manages to find a way into the end of the first round. Last season, it was Marcus Smith who made this jump, even though many pundits had second- and third-round grades on him. This season, the prospect that really no one knows about, as of now, is Quinten Rollins.

Out of Miami (OH), Rollins hails from a little-known football school. Ben Roethlisberger played his college ball here, but the school didn’t get that much attention this past season. Despite excelling in 2014, Rollins came to Miami (OH) as a basketball recruit. After four years at point guard and finishing second in steals in the school’s history, Rollins decided to try out for the football team before the season.

Rollins was recruited by many colleges to play football in high school, but he elected to play basketball. In case you didn’t know, outside of the forward-turned-tight-ends in the NFL like Jimmy Graham and Julius Thomas, there are other players who made the transition from college basketball to the NFL. Bruce Ellington was a three-year starter at South Carolina as a guard in basketball before turning to football.

Rollins tried out for the football team in his senior year and instead of just being a rotational defensive back, he burst onto the scene. Not only did he become the best cornerback on his team, he became the best cornerback in the Mid-American Conference (MAC). Rollins had 72 tackles, 16 pass deflections and seven interceptions. These numbers were good enough to earn him the team’s MVP award as well as the Defensive Player of the Year award in the MAC. Football Insiders caught up with Rollins at the Reese’s Senior Bowl and talked about how his skills at guarding in basketball translate well to the NFL.

“You can’t be really physical in basketball, you have to have more of a mirror technique,” Rollins said. “Out here, you can get physical a bit, but at the same time, you have to get your hands on that guy and just run with him. It works out pretty well, but I still need to sharpen that skill.”

At 6-feet, 205 pounds, Rollins has excellent ability in terms of athleticism as well as fluidity. Rollins has been rumored to run a 4.45 40-yard dash. Unlike many cornerbacks, Rollins does a great job at changing directions when he’s at full speed. On top of this trait, Rollins has great fluidity, which allows him to turn his hips fast in coverage and keep pace with receivers going deep.

Amnesia is something scouts love. What this means is that Rollins has the ability to go onto the next play and forget about the previous one. Rollins is also a quick learner. When he gets beat one way, he finds a way to make adjustments in-game and improve what he did wrong.

Rollins has all the athletic skills that teams want in a cornerback, but in today’s NFL, cornerbacks need to be able to make plays at the point of attack. When the ball is in the air, Rollins has a great ability to go up and make a play on the football. Rollins had seven interceptions in 2014, thus showing how he can be an impact player for an NFL team as quickly as next year.

With long arms and the willingness to bang at the line of scrimmage with opposing receivers, Rollins’ athleticism and game translate well to the NFL. Rollins played just one season in college and the conference he played in wasn’t the strongest so Rollins is still raw, but the skills are there for him to be a stud cornerback at the professional level.

Right now, not many know about Rollins, but with the combine in the coming weeks, he will have the opportunity to make his name known. As time goes on and the draft nears, don’t be surprised if more people fall in love with Rollins and his potential. When it’s all said and done, Rollins may even be able to climb into the first round.