2025 The State of the ACC: NFL Draft Recap

Outside of Miami quarterback Cam Ward, the ACC had a very quiet first two days of the 2025 NFL Draft

The first overall pick of the 2025 NFL Draft wasn’t just an ACC player, it was a Miami Hurricane. ‘Canes Quarterback Cam Ward went 1st overall to the Tennessee Titans just as the movie script foretold when he was a zero-star prospect coming out of high school.

After Ward, the only other ACC pick in the first round went to RB Omarion Hampton out of UNC. The Tar Heel back was selected by the Los Angeles Chargers at no.22. The Big 12 and ACC both had two selections while the FCS level landed NDSU guard Grey Zabel at no.18 to the Seattle Seahawks.

The Big Ten had 10 first round selections while the SEC tallied up 15 first rounders. Ashton Jeanty, the running back from Boise State, was the G5’s lone 1st round pick.

The second round was a little more kind to the ACC with five picks coming off the board. Louisville QB Tyler Shough gives Jeff Brohm another reclamation project in the NFL. Dallas picked Boston College DE Donovan Ezeiruaku, Seattle selected Miami TE Elijah Arroyo, the Packers took NC State OL Anthony Belton, while the Bears drafted BC tackle Ozzy Trapilo.

The Big Ten saw eight players drafted in round two, while the SEC racked up 13 players taken. The Big 12 had four go in the second round.

Four ACC players were taken in the third round on day two of the draft. Louisville Cardinals DL Ashton Gillotte went 66th overall to the Kansas City Chiefs. He was joined by FSU CB Azareye’h Thomas, Cal CB Nohl Williams, and UVA safety Jonas Sanker. The SEC had nine 3rd round picks, the Big Ten landed nine picks as well. The Big 12 had seven 3rd round selections.

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The ACC cleaned up in the 4th round, and honestly, thank God for adding Cal to the ACC or there would have been much fewer draft picks for the league. The ACC had eight 4th round picks, including one Stanford Cardinal, two Cal Golden Bears and two Virginia Tech Hokies. Compare that though to 15 SEC players. The Big Ten saw only five players selected, while the Big 12 had only two.

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The Wrap

I’m not really a rounds five through seven sort of guy. Those picks are as easy to cut as an UDFA. We’re going to stick to the first four rounds of the draft instead with our analysis. That means the ACC finished rounds 1-4 with 19 picks, the SEC had 52 taken, the Big Ten saw 32 selections, and the Big 12 had 15.

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The ACC is clearly the third best conference in the Power 4 when it comes to developing NFL draft picks. Notre Dame had only three picks in the first four rounds, including no first rounder while landing in the College Football Playoff Championship Game.

The Hurricanes felt the wrath of the “Mario Gap,” aka the chasm that exists between his best player (Justin Herbert, Penei Sewell, Cam Ward) and the rest of the team (one 2nd rounder, no third or fourth round picks at all). Cristobal has landed a couple of 2nd rounders in his time, but typically there’s a massive gap between his 1st round pick and his next selection- and this dates back to the Oregon Ducks.

When looking at the ‘Canes two regular season losses, Georgia Tech and Syracuse, the two programs combined to have six draft picks. However, all six were in rounds 5-7. The epic collapse that was the end of the 2024 regular season should not be soon forgotten.