After having nine players drafted in the first round of the 2015 NFL Draft, the Atlantic Coast Conference saw a total of 11 players taken in the second and third rounds, giving it 20 total players drafted in the first three rounds of this year’s draft in Chicago.
That total of 20 players is the second-highest for the first three rounds in ACC history. The Conference had 25 players chosen in the first three rounds of the 2006 draft, when it had an NFL record 12 players chosen in the first round.
On Thursday night when Louisville’s DeVante Parker and Miami’s Phillip Dorsett were chosen in the first round, that brought to eight the number of Atlantic Coast Conference wide receivers that have been drafted in the first round beginning with the 2009 NFL Draft. In that seven-year span, that is more wide receivers taken in the first round than any other conference.
After the first three rounds, the Pac-12 led all conferences with 25 selections, followed by the SEC (22), the ACC (20), the Big Ten (15) and the Big 12 (7).
Friday night, when Florida State had four players taken, it gave the Seminoles six players taken in the the draft, the most of any school nationally. FSU has had 24 players drafted in the last three years. When defensive end Mario Edwards, Jr, and defensive tackle Eddie Goldman, were selected in the second round of the NFL Draft as the 35th and 39th picks, the Seminoles set an NFL Draft record in the modern era for most players selected from one school in the first 40 selections. FSU QB Jameis Winston and center Cameron Erving were selected on Thursday in the first round of the draft, giving FSU four picks in the top 39 selections.
Later, FSU cornerbacks Ronald Darby (2nd round, 50th pick, Buffalo) and P.J. Williams (third round, 78th pick, New Orleans) were also drafted
When Miami linebacker Denzel Perryman was chosen by the San Diego Chargers in the second round of the NFL Draft, he became the third Miami player chosen in the first 48 selections. Miami had three players chosen in last year’s draft, but none before the 93rd pick. The last time the Hurricanes had three selected so high was in 2007, when three ‘Canes were chosen on the first round.
Miami ended the second day of the draft with five total players chosen including tight end Clive Walford, who was chosen by the Oakland Raiders as the 68th overall pick in the draft and running back Duke Johnson, who was the 77th player taken, when drafted by the Cleveland Browns. That brings the number of Miami players drafted since 2011 to 24.
The Hurricanes have now had a player selected in the NFL Draft in each of the last 41 years, a streak which began in 1975.
Virginia also saw its long draft streak extended when defensive end Eli Harold was chosen by the San Francisco 49ers in the third round as the 79th pick. UVa has now had a player chosen in the past 32 NFL Drafts, a streak which began with the 1984 draft. Florida State also has a 32-year long streak of having at least one player chosen in the NFL draft.
Louisville had three players chosen on the second day of the draft, led by offensive tackle Jamon Brown and offensive guard John Miller and including outside linebacker Lorenzo Mauldin. Combined with wide receiver DeVante Parker, who was the 14th player chosen in the first round, the Cardinals have had four players selected in the first three rounds of this year’s draft. Louisville now has had eight players chosen in the first three rounds of the past two NFL Drafts, four each in 2014 and 2015.
Brown was chosen by the St. Louis Rams as the 72nd overall pick, while Miller tabbed by the Buffalo Bills as the 81st pick. Mauldin was taken right after at No. 82 by the New York Jets.
ACC First Round Selections
No. Rd. Player, School, Position Team
1 1 Jameis Winston, Florida State, QB Tampa Bay Bus
8 1 Vic Beasley, Clemson, DE Atlanta Falcons
9 1 Ereck Flowers, Miami, OT New York Giants
14 1 DeVante Parker, Louisville, WR Miami Dolphins
16 1 Kevin Johnson, Wake Forest, CB Houston Texans
19 1 Cameron Erving, Florida State, C Cleveland Browns
28 1 Laken Tomlinson, Duke, G Detroit Lions
29 1 Phillip Dorsett, Miami, WR Indianapolis Colts
31 1 Stephone Anthony, Clemson, LB New Orleans Saints
35 2 Mario Edwards, Jr., Florida State, DE Oakland Raiders
39 2 Eddie Goldman, Florida State, DT Chicago Bears
48 2 Denzel Perryman, Miami, LB San Diego Chargers
50 2 Ronald Darby, Florida State, CB Buffalo Bills
68 3 Clive Walford, Miami, TE Oakland Raiders
72 3 Jamon Brown, Louisville, OT St. Louis Rams
77 3 Duke Johnson, Miami, RB Cleveland Browns
78 3 P.J. Williams, Florida State, CB New Orleans Saints
79 3 Eli Harold, Virginia, DE San Francisco 49ers
81 3 John Miller, Louisville, G Buffalo Bills
82 3 Lorenzo Mauldin, Louisville, OLB New York Jets
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