ACC Has 42 Players Chosen In the 2014 NFL Draft.

Blog contributor @HokieSmash  sent me this ACC release after the completion of the NFL draft.

I’ll be posting a follow up article with how this impressive draft showing is important for the ACC and it’s football programs.

Second-Highest Total in History for League Bettered Only By 51 Picks in 2006

ACC Finishes Second Only to SEC; Has 26 Players Taken on Final Day

All 14 ACC teams Had At Least One Player Chosen

Greensboro, N.C—The  Atlantic Coast Conference had a total of 42 players  selected in the 2014 National Football League Draft , including 27 drafted on Saturdayat the Radio City Music Hall in New York City.

The 42 players were the second-highest in ACC history, bettered only by the total of 51 in 2006, when the Conference set a record for a 12-team league.

The 42 players were also the second-highest total of any conference in this year’s NFL Draft, bettered only by the SEC’s 48. The Pac 12 was third with 34 followed by the Big 10 (29) and the Big 12 (16) and Mountain West (16).

The ACC had more players chosen on Saturday afternoon than any other conference.

Florida State led all ACC schools with seven players chosen as each of the conference’s 14 teams had at least one player taken in this year’s draft. FSU has now had 18 players drafted in the National Football League over the past two years.

Clemson and North Carolina each had five players selected while Boston College had four. Georgia Tech, Miami, Pitt, Virginia and Virginia Tech all had three players chosen followed by Syracuse with two while Duke, NC state, Wake Forest and Maryland had one player chosen apiece.

Since the 2005 season the ACC has now had 353 players chosen in the NFL Draft, including 56 first-round picks.

All 31 ACC players drafted last year in the 2013 NFL Draft are still in the NFL, while 60 of the 62 players drafted in the past two seasons are still in the NFL (.967).  Of the 97 ACC players drafted in the past three NFL Drafts, 87, or 89.7 percent are still in the NFL, 78.3 percent are still with the teams that drafted them.

The ACC, which had five starting quarterbacks in the NFL last year and saw three others start games during the season, saw three more of its quarterbacks drafted including Virginia tech Logan Thomas (4^th round, 120), Pitt’s Tom Savage (4^th round, 135) and Clemson’s Tahj Boyd (7^th round, 213).

The league had five first-round picks selected on Thursday; 10 players chosen on the second and third rounds on Friday and an impressive total of 27 players chosen today in rounds fourth through seven.

Miami, Florida State and Virginia all saw their consecutive draft strings contine.

Miami has had a player selected in every NFL Draft since 1974, or 41 consecutive years. Virginia and Florida State have each had a player chosen each year since 1983, or a total of 32 straight years.

The ACC began the draft in a strong fashion with four players selected among the first 14 players chosen.

Complete ACC NFL Selections

Rd             No.          Name, School                        Pos.       Team

1 4 Sammy Watkins, Clemson WR Buffalo Bills

1 10 Eric Ebron, North Carolina TE Detroit Lions

1 13 Aaron Donald, Pitt DT St. Louis Rams

1 14 Kyle Fuller, Virginia Tech CB Chicago Bears

1 28 Kelvin Benjamin, Florida State WR Carolina Panthers

2 41 Lamarcus Joyner, Florida State CB St. Louis Rams

2 48 Timmy Jernigan, Florida State DT Baltimore Ravens

2 50 Jeremiah Attaochu, Georgia Tech DE San Diego Chargers

3 66 Morgan Moses, Virginia T Washington Redskins

3 74 Jay Bromley, Syracuse DT N.Y. Giants

3 79 Terrence Brooks, Florida State S Baltimore Ravens

3 80 Dexter McDougle, Maryland CB N.Y. Jets

3 84 Kareem Martin, North Carolina DE Arizona Cardinals

3 93 Brandon Linder, Miami G Jacksonville Jaguars

3 100 Brandon Thomas, Clemson T San Francisco 49ers

4 102 Bashaud Breeland, Clemson CB Washington Redskins

4 103 Devonta Freeman, Florida State RB Atlanta Falcons

4 105 Bryan Stork, Florida State C N.E. Patriots

4 109 Ross Cockrell, Duke CB Buffalo Bills

4 111 Russell Bodine, North Carolina C Cincinnati Bengals

4 113 Andre Williams, Boston College RB N.Y. Giants

4 118 Martavis Bryant, Clemson WR Pittsburgh Steelers

4 120 Logan Thomas, Virginia Tech QB Arizona Cardinals

4 128 Tre’ Boston, North Carolina S Carolina Panthers

4 129 Dontae Johnson, NC State CB San Francisco 49ers

4 132 Kevin Pierre-Louis, Boston College LB Seattle Seahawks

4 134 Brent Urban, Virginia DT Baltimore Ravens

4 135 Tom Savage, Pitt QB Houston Texans

5 144 Telvin Smith, Florida State OLB Jacksonville Jaguars

5 146 Devin Street, Pitt WR Dallas Cowboys

5 168 Marquis Spruill, Syracuse LB Atlanta Falcons

6 182 Antone Exum, Virginia Tech CB Minnesota Vikings

6 191 Pat O’Donnell, Miami P Chicago Bears

6 205 Luke Bowanko, Virginia C Jacksonville Jaguars

6 206 Jemea Thomas, Georgia Tech CB N.E. Patriots

6 213 Tahj Boyd, Clemson QB N.Y. Jets

7 218 Michael Campanaro, Wake Forest WR Baltimore Ravens

7 223 Brandon Watts, Georgia Tech OLB Minnesota Vikings

7 225 Jabari Price, North Carolina CB Minnesota Vikings

7 229 Nate Freese, Boston College PK Detroit Lions

7 237 Seantrell Henderson, Miami T Buffalo Bills

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