Yesterday, the Confidential recapped Round 1. There was an error–there were only 31 picks because New England lost its first round pick to whatever latest scandal they were embroiled in. For whatever reason, having 6 of 31 picks just looks a lot better than 6/32. Still, it was hard to call Round 1 spectacular with so much Notre Dame influence. Day 2 did not do much to improve the analysis. But, upon further review, there is nothing for the ACC to hang its head about.
Here is a list of the ACC players taken in Round 2:
- Kevin Dodd, DE Clemson (Tennessee Titans)
- Jaylon Smith, LB Notre Dame (Dallas Cowboys)
- Nick Martin, OL Notre Dame (Houston Texans)
- Mackensie Alexander, CB Clemson (Minnesota Vikings)
- Tyler Boyd, WR Pittsburgh (Cincinnati Bengals)
- TJ Green, S Clemson (Indianapolis Colts)
- Roberto Aguayo, K Florida State (Tampa Bay Buccaneers)
- Adam Gotsis, DL Georgia Tech (Denver Broncos)
After 2 rounds, the ACC had 14/63 picks. That is 22%. With 5 major conferences, right about where the ACC should be to maintain par. However, with 4 of those being Notre Dame, and the fair perception that Notre Dame is not really an ACC football school, that drops things to 10/63, or 16%. Still, that is not horrible given that 8 of those 63 draftees were not from P5 schools. 10 out of the 55 P5 players drafted works out to 18%, maybe 1 draftee short of where the ACC “should be.” Certainly not worthy of concern.
Here is a list of the ACC players taken in Round 3:
- Keivarae Russell, CB, Notre Dame (Kansas City Chiefs)
- Joe Thuney, OG, NC State (New England Patriots)
- Kendall Fuller, CB, Virginia Tech (Washington Redskins)
- C.J. Prosise, RB, Notre Dame (Seattle Seahawks)
- Jacoby Brissett, QB, NC State (New England Patriots)
- Justin Simmons, S, Boston College (Denver Broncos)
Of the 98 players drafted in the first three rounds, 20 were from the ACC (including Notre Dame). That works out to 20.4%. If you exclude Notre Dame’s impressive six draftees, that drops things down to 14.3%, roughly 1 in 7 draftees being from ACC schools.
The Confidential is of the opinion that the ACC should strive to supply approximately 17% of the draftees each year. That corresponds to 1/6th of the draftees, with 1/6th also apportioned for the SEC, Big 10, Pac 12, Big 12, and “other.” As for the “other,” the NFL certainly does not shy away from taking players with potential from outside the P5. In fact, 15 of the 98 players drafted through 3 rounds were from schools outside the P5.
Here are the “by conference” totals:
- Big 10: 22
- SEC: 22
- ACC: 20 (including Notre Dame)
- Other: 15
- ACC: 14 (excluding Notre Dame)
- Pac 12: 10
- Big XII: 9
If you do not include Notre Dame as an ACC school, even an unspectular first three round still has the ACC well ahead of the Pac 12 and Big XII for producing players. Even adjusted for fewer teams, the Pac 12 and Big XII still fall short of meeting the 1 draftee per school ratio that the ACC meets. If you include Notre Dame, then the ACC bumps right up behind the Big 10 and the SEC.
The best way to sum up the first three rounds from an ACC perspective is to state that it has been an “OK” draft. The draft has done nothing to suggest that the ACC is not worthy of every respect as a football conference. Regardless of whether you count Notre Dame as an ACC school, the ACC is still a solid “third” in producing NFL talent.
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