2021 NFL Draft: How did the ACC fare?

It’s official, this year’s installment of the NFL Draft has come to an end. It did not do so without taking an abundance of college football talent with it, though. And these guys came from all around the country; each one representing both his school and conference outstandingly.

The ACC, per usual, was one of said conferences. The Atlantic Coast, with the inclusion of Notre Dame, had a grand total of 51 players scooped up in the draft alone (2nd-most overall, behind only the Southeastern Conference, who had 65). Of the fifteen teams in the league, the only one that saw none of their talents be selected was Virginia.

Now it is worth noting that Notre Dame easily had more names called than any true ACC squad, with a tally of nine (the closest to that standard was shockingly met by Pittsburgh, of all teams, with six). However, without the addition of the Fighting Irish’s number, the conference was still third place in pick count, but just fell behind the Big Ten (44) as well.

Some of the schools’ displays throughout the entire draft process did not come without a sizable shock. Examples include the aforementioned Pittsburgh showing, along with Wake Forest having just one player selected. Also, the yucky duo of Florida State and Duke somehow managed to ship off four powers each.

And a good deal of these guys we’re talking about are not just some Mr. Irrelevant’s, either. Of the ACC’s 51 selections, six were in the first round, and nineteen more followed in rounds two and three. In other words, just about half of the Atlantic Coast’s picks were off the board before the draft was even halfway finished.

All in all, the 2021 NFL Draft was a great way to showcase that despite the ACC’s lack of depth, it is still one of the best conferences to compete in if you have any hopes of making a roster in the National Football League.