Vic Beasley was one of nine ACC players taken in the first round of the NFL Draft. The Falcons picked him No. 8 overall. (AP photo)
Jameis Winston was the first overall No. 1 pick from the ACC in nearly 10 years.
When the first round of the NFL Draft was over, eight other ACC players had been picked, the most by the conference since 12 ACC players were picked in the first round in 2006.
The ACC tied the Pac-12 with nine first-round picks, followed by the SEC (seven), Big Ten (three) and the American Athletic Conference and Big 12 with two each.
The Falcons contributed to that number by selecting Clemson’s Vic Beasley with the eighth pick.
The ACC’s first-round selections:
No. 1 — Jameis Winston, Florida State, Tampa Bay
No. 8 — Vic Beasley, Clemson, Atlanta
No. 9 — Ereck Flowers, Miami, N.Y. Giants
No. 14 — DeVante Parker, Louisville, Miami
No. 16 — Kevin Johnson, Wake Forest, Houston
No. 19 — Cameron Erving, Florida State, Cleveland
No. 28 — Laken Tomlinson, Duke, Detroit
No. 29 — Phillip Dorsett, Miami, Indianapolis
No. 31 — Stephone Anthony, Clemson, New Orleans
Clemson hadn’t had two first-round selections since 1982.
The SEC had the most players taken in the first round in each of the past four drafts, but looked up to a record nine Pac-12 players and the ACC’s strong showing when first round ended.
The SEC’s seven picks were its fewest since 2008, when six were taken.
The SEC’s first-round selections:
No. 3 — Dante Fowler Jr., Florida, Jacksonville
No. 4 — Amari Cooper, Alabama, Oakland
No. 10 — Todd Gurley, Georgia, St. Louis
No. 21 — Cedric Ogbuehi, Texas A&M, Cincinnati
No. 22 — Bud Dupree, Kentucky, Pittsburgh
No. 23 — Shane Ray, Missouri, Denver
No. 24 — D.J. Humphries, Florida, Arizona
Georgia coach Mark Richt has now sent 75 players to the NFL with two more rounds tonight and the final four on Saturday.
