NFL Draft 2020: How many ACC players will end up being drafted in the first round? What are the over/under odds?
CFN Podcast: How Many QBs Will Go In 1st Round?
Pete Fiutak and Nick Shepkowski dive deep on whether or not five might be picked on Day One.
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NFL Draft 2020: ACC
The ACC and the NFL Draft haven’t had a great relationship over the last several years when it comes to sending bulk talent to the next level, but it has been fantastic in the first round.
Clemson has done its part, and Florida State has been a decent feeder from time to time, but last year it was Duke’s Daniel Jones who made the most noise at the sixth overall pick. In all, seven ACC players were selected on Day One last year, and just three of them were from Clemson.
Six were selected early in 2018 – highlighted by Lamar Jackson being picked at the 32 by Baltimore – and four went in the first round in 2017.
The league has done okay to showcase itself, but this year should be a bit of an issue.
CFN in 60: 2020 Top Five Overall Prospects
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The line for the total ACC players drafted in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft is just 3.5.
The last time the ACC had fewer than four players selected early was 2003, but that was the last year Miami was in the Big East. If you want to count all the current ACC programs, it’s been a long, long time since there weren’t been four players picked in the first.
This year, start with the obvious. Clemson LB Isaiah Simmons will likely go in the top five – top ten, at worst – and Louisville’s Mekhi Becton will be one of the first offensive tackles off the board.
And then it all dries up in a huge hurry.
Can Clemson CB AJ Terrell find his way in? That’s not a given.
Will Tiger WR Tee Higgins make it into the first round? Ehhhhhh, it’s possible, but hardly a sure thing. Terrell has a better shot than Higgins.
So set the bar at three. Outside of Higgins, there isn’t another ACC player who’ll likely be sniffing the top 32. Florida State RB Cam Akers and Virginia CB Bryce Hall are some of the only other ACC players who’ll be in the mix for the second round, much less the first.
So …
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How Many ACC Players Will Be Drafted In the First Round?
It’s going to be a historically weak first round for the ACC.
With Miami not holding up its end of the bargain, and with Florida State a bit down in the NFL talent department, it’s up to Clemson to send its superstars to the next level, but the tsunami is coming in the 2021 NFL Draft.
Do you feel like sticking with the side of history and go with the hope that Higgins is a first rounder? He’s got top 32 talent, and it’s not a crazy call. Best of all, the over is where all the value is. The ACC will definitely get three players drafted in the first round, but …
That’s it. Expect the under on the 3.5.
Prediction: Under
BetMGM line: 3.5, Over +225, Under -286
Bet on this and the rest of the draft at BetMGM
CFN 2020 NFL Draft Prospect Rankings
from the college perspective …
QB | RB | WR | TE | OT | OG & C
DE | DT | LB | CB | Safeties
Greatest NFL Draft Picks From Each School
ACC | Big Ten | Big 12 | Pac-12 | SEC
32 Greatest Draft Picks of All-Time
Full 2020 NFL Draft Order
CFN Top 106 Player Rankings (1st 3 rounds)
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