Former North Carolina defensive end Quinton Coples was a 4-star prospect entering college. Fourteen other ACC players who were selected in the NFL draft were also 4-star recruits. PHOTO: Associated Press

Boston College linebacker Luke Kuechly, at the ninth overall pick, was the first ACC player to be selected in the NFL draft over last weekend. Florida State offensive tackle Andrew Datko, who went 241st overall, was the last. By the time the draft ended, NFL teams selected 31 players who spent the 2011 season in the ACC.

For those 31 players, being drafted represented the culmination of a dream. It wasn’t all that long ago, though, that they began their college careers as incoming recruits hoping to find a role with their college teams. With the draft over, it's as good of a time as any to look back and examine what kind of recruits these draftees once were. 

All's well that ends well for Terrell Manning. The former N.C. State linebacker had to wait longer than he expected to get picked on Saturday in the NFL draft, but he ended up with one of the best teams in the league.

While Manning waited, the Green Bay Packers took him with their fifth-round pick, No. 163 overall, Wake Forest had three players go off the board in the fourth round and fourth in the fifth round. The four draft picks tied the school record from 2009.