The ACC started fast in the NFL Draft. The conference produced four of the top nine picks.
Wake Forest linebacker Aaron Curry didn't have to wait long to hear his name at the NFL Draft. The Seattle Seahawks, in a minor surprise, made Curry the fourth pick in the draft, about 30 minutes into the extravaganza.
Curry was the second defensive player selected, after Kansas City chose defense end Tyson Jackson instead of Curry. There was the potential for Curry to slide but Seattle passed up USC quarterback Mark Sanchez and grabbed Curry.
Curry's the first Wake Forest player to be drafted in the first round since Calvin Pace in 2003 and only fourth in the school's history.
Maryland receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey was a major surprise at the seventh pick to Oakland, which reached for the Maryland burner instead of the more accomplished receiver prospects in Michael Crabtree (Texas Tech) and Jeremy Maclin (Missouri).
Virginia tackle Eugene Monroe went No. 8 to Jacksonville. It's the third time in four years the Cavaliers have had an offensive lineman taken in the first round.
Boston College defensive tackle B.J. Raji capped the end of the top-10 flurry going to Green Bay at No. 9. Raji was recruited to BC by N.C. State coach Tom O'Brien. It's the second straight year a player recruited by O'Brien has been picked in the top 10 (Matt Ryan, No. 3).
Comments
ACC is live
Mon, 04/27/2009 - 01:35 — jeromfitzwith action with teams like UNC, VA Tech, Miami U, FSU, and the rest of the crew. You can't help pick some of the most talented players in the country.
Talent has always been
Mon, 04/27/2009 - 08:11 — AlleyOopsTalent has always been great. But without better coaches, the ACC will never be SEC or even Big Ten or Big XII status. I think UNC, NCSU, Duke, Wake, GT and VT are all set at the coaching position for a long, long time. Everyone else could use an upgrade or else it's going to be the same story every year for this conference.