ACC football represents second most 1st round picks by conference

Despite a relatively small output from Clemson this year, the ACC still managed to put out a decent amount of 1st round picks in 2018. According to ESPN, the SEC churned out the most 1st round talent once again.

Of the 32 first round selections, 10 were from the SEC, headlined by Georgia’s Roquan Smith at 8th overall. Six first round selections came from the ACC, with NC State’s Bradley Chubb coming off the board the earliest at No. 5.

The narrative surrounding college football for the past decade has been the SEC’s dominance. There is no disputing the amount of National Championship’s the SEC has won over the past decade.

That being said, Alabama has largely carried the entire conference on their back. Nick Saban and the Tide have claimed five National Championships over the past nine seasons.

The same can be said for the SEC’s dominance of the NFL Draft. 4 out of the 10 SEC players taken in the first round came from Alabama. Which begs the question, does the SEC dominate college football, or does Alabama dominating college football?

ACC First Round Picks

The ACC continues to improve their reputation as a legitimate football conference. They had six players from four different college programs selected in the first round of the draft.

The aforementioned Bradley Chubb started off a huge draft for the NC State Wolfpack – who had seven players taken in total – at No. 5.

From there, the ACC went on a drought until Virginia Tech’s Tremaine Edmunds was taken by the Buffalo Bills with the 16th overall pick. The next two picks also came from the ACC, as Derwin James (FSU) was taken 17th overall and Jaire Alexander (Louisville) 18th overall.

In the ladder half of the 1st round, the Steelers selected Terrell Edmunds (Virginia Tech) with the 28th overall pick and the Ravens selected Lamar Jackson (Louisville) with the 32nd overall pick.

Next: Tigers' NFL Draft, Free Agency Recap

All-in-all it was a successful draft for many programs in the ACC and the entire conference as a whole. Just wait until next year, when Clemson could have up to 5 first round picks.