Hurricanes Send 6 To The NFL, ACC Sends 31 Total

The Miami Hurricanes had 6 players chosen in the 2012 NFL Draft. Two went in the 3rd round, 2 in the 4th, and another pair in the 6th round.

Defensive end Olivier Vernon went to the Miami Dolphins in the third round, 72nd overall. After having to sit out the first six games in 2011 Vernon finished the season with 18 tackles, 15 solo. During his 3 seasons with the Canes he had 81 total tackles. His best game was in 2010 on opening day when he made 7 tackles against Florida A&M in a 45-0 victory.

Linebacker Sean Spence also was drafted in the third round, 86th overall, by the Pittsburgh Steelers. Spence had 106 tackles in 2011 along with 3 sacks and a forced fumble. In his 4 years in Miami he recorded 318 tackles along with 1o sacks, 4 forced fumbles and an interception. He should fit in well with the Steelers 3-4 defense.

Running back Lamar Miller was selected in the 4th round by the Miami Dolphins. Miller rushed for 1.272 yards in 2011 with 9 touchdowns. he saw two seasons of action with the Hurricanes and combined for 1,918 yards and 15 touchdowns. He also caught 28 passes for 181 yards and a touchdown. He could easily become the Dolphins top back in his rookie season. With Reggie Bush going over the 1,000 yard mark last season for the first time in his career, the Dolphins could have a backfield that might help them challenge for the AFC East title.

Wide receiver Travis Benjamin also went in the 4th round when he was picked by the Cleveland Browns. Benjamin had 609 yards receiving and 3 touchdowns in 2011 and was a solid player over the last two seasons. In 2010 he had 743 yards receiving and 3 touchdowns. Over his 4 years in Miami he totalled 2,146 yards and 13 touchdowns. His speed will be a welcome addition to the receiving corps as well as the return team in Cleveland.

Wide receiver Tommy Streeter was picked in the 6th round by the Baltimore Ravens. Streeter had 811 yards receiving for the Canes in 2011 to go with 8 touchdowns. It was easily his breakout year. In three seasons in Miami he totalled 967 yards and nine touchdowns. He had been rumored to be chosen earlier but it worked out better for him as he ends up with one of the top teams in the AFC. His rookie season should see him as a 3rd or 4th receiver on the depth chart but if he has a strong training camp he could push for the number two slot.

Offensive lineman Brandon Washington went in the 6th round as well, to the Philadelphia Eagles. Washington started 12 games for the Hurricanes in 2011 and only picked up 3 penalties. According to the Miami coaching staff he made only 5 mental errors all season and was given a grade of 86. Washington was also rumored to be going much earlier in the draft but for some reason slipped down to the 6th round. The Eagles will be hoping he can earn a starting role in a couple of seasons.

OTHER ACC PLAYERS HEADING TO THE NFL:

Boston College:

Luke Kuechly (LB) to the Carolina Panthers in the 1st round.

North Carolina:

Quinton Coples (DE) to the New York Jets in the 1st round.

Zach Brown (LB) to the Tennessee Titans in the 2nd round.

Virginia Tech:

David Wilson (RB) to the New York Giants in the 1st round.

Jayron Hosley (CB) to the New York Giants in the 3rd round.

Danny Coale (WR) to the Dallas Cowboys in the 5th round.

Clemson:

Andre Branch (DE) to the Jacksonville Jaguars in the 2nd round.

Dwayne Allen (TE) to the Indianapolis Colts in the 3rd round.

Brandon Thompson (DT) to the Cincinnati Bengals in the 3rd round.

Coty Sensabaugh (CB) to the Tennessee Titans in the 4th round.

Georgia Tech:

Stephen Hill (WR) to the New York Jets in the 2nd round.

N.C. State:

T.J. Graham (WR) to the Buffalo Bills in the 3rd round.

Terrell Manning (LB) to the Green Bay Packers in the 5th round.

Audie Cole (LB) to the Minnesota Vikings in the 7th round.

J.R. Sweezy (DE) to the Seattle Seahawks in the 7th round.

Markus Kuhn (DT) to the New York Giants in the 7th round.

Wake Forest:

Chris Givens (WR) to the St. Louis Rams in the 4th round.

Kyle Wilber (LB) to the Dallas Cowboys in the 4th round.

Joe Looney (OL) to the San Francisco 49ers in the 4th round.

Josh Bush (S) to the New York Jets in the 6th round.

Florida State:

Nigel Bradham (LB) to the Buffalo Bills in the 4th round.

Zebrie Sanders (OL) to the Buffalo Bills in the 5th round.

Mike Harris (CB) to the Jacksonville Jaguars in the 6th round.

Andrew Datko (OL) to the Green Bay Packers in the 7th round.

Virginia:

Cam Johnson (DE) to the San Francisco 49ers in the 7th round.

Ray Blanchette covers the Miami Hurricanes and the ACC for the Saturday Blitz. . He also writes for Outside The Redzone. Follow along at www.outsidetheredzone.com. Blanchette is the owner of Blanchette Sports Holdings. Follow along with them at www.blanchettesh.elementfx.com or on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/#!/profile.php?id=100003521034703&sk=wall or on Twitter at https://twitter.com/#!/BlanchettSports