The Atlantic Coast Conference had 14 players chosen in the first three rounds and two days of the 2016 NFL Draft, including 10 draftees on Friday night.
The ACC had six players chosen on the second round of the draft, including three from Clemson in DE Kevin Dodd (Taylors, S.C.), CB Mackensie Alexander (Immokalee, Fla.) and S T.J. Green (Sylacauga, Ala.) giving the Tigers four of the Top 57 players in the Draft.
Dodd’s selection, combined with the picks of Louisville’s Sheldon Rankins and the Tigers’ Shaq Lawson in the first round on Thursday night, gives the ACC 27 defensive ends or outside linebackers chosen in the first or second round since 2006, the most of any conference.
Joining the Clemson trio on the second round were Pitt WR Tyler Boyd (Clairton, Pa.), Florida State PK Roberto Aguayo (Mascotte, Fla.) and Georgia Tech DT Adam Gotsis, a native of Abbotsford, Australia.
The league also had four picks in the third round and its total of 14 draftees in the first three rounds ranks third among all conferences.
Two of the third-round picks were from NC State, and both were selected by the New England Patriots, including in G Joe Thuney (Centerville, Ohio), selected 78th and QB Jacoby Brissett (West Palm Beach, Fla.), who was tabbed 91st.
The other two were Virginia Tech cornerback Kendall Fuller (Baltimore, Md.) and Boston College S Justin Simmons (Stuart, Fla.), one of the mainstays of a Boston College defense that led the nation in total defense and team tackles for loss.
When Fuller was drafted in the third round as the 84th overall selection by the Washington Redskins, he became the fourth Fuller brother to have played at Virginia Tech and be drafted into the NFL. Older brother Vince was a fourth-round pick of the Tennessee Titans in 2005. Older brothers Corey, who was selected in the sixth round by Detroit in 2013 and Kyle, who was tabbed on the first round by the Chicago Bears in 2014, have also been drafted.
Fuller’s selection also extended Virginia Tech’s streak of having a player taken in the NFL Draft to 23 consecutive years.
The NFL Draft continues on Saturday with the final four rounds of selections beginning at Noon.
2016 ACC NFL Early Round Draftees
Rd No. Player School Pos. Hometown NFL team
1st 5 Jalen Ramsey Florida State CB Smyrna, Tenn. Jacksonville Jaguars
1st 12 Sheldon Rankins Louisville DE Covington, Ga. New Orleans Saints
1st 19 Shaq Lawson Clemson DE Central, S.C. Buffalo Bills
1st 25 Artie Burns Miami CB Miami, Fla. Pittsburgh Steelers
2nd 33 Kevin Dodd Clemson DE Taylors, S.C. Tennessee Titans
2nd 54 Mackensie Alexander Clemson CB Immokalee, Fla. Minnesota Vikings
2nd 55 Tyler Boyd Pitt WR Clairton, Pa. Cincinnati Bengals
2nd 57 T.J. Green Clemson S Sylacauga, Ala. Indianapolis Colts
2nd 59 Roberto Aguayo Florida State PK Mascotte, Fla. Tampa Bay Bucs
2nd 62 Adam Gotsis Georgia Tech DT Abbotsford, Australia Denver Broncos
3rd 78 Joe Thuney NC State G Centerville, Ohio New England Patriots
3rd 84 Kendall Fuller Virginia Tech CB Baltimore, Md. Washington Redskins
3rd 91 Jacoby Brissett NC State QB West Palm Beach, Fla. New England Patriots
3rd 98 Justin Simmons Boston College S Stuart, Fla. Denver Broncos
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