By ACC Nation Staff
Thirty-eight ACC football players heard their names called over three days in Pittsburgh during the 2026 NFL Draft. Dozens more are headed to rookie minicamps as undrafted free agents. Here’s the conference-wide tally and what it tells us about where the league stands.
By the Numbers
| NFL Draft | ACC Football |
|---|---|
| 38 | ACC Players Drafted |
| 6 | First-Round Picks |
| 13 | Schools Represented |
| 9 | Clemson and Miami Each |
| 35+ | Reported UDFA Signings |
The 2026 NFL Draft closed Saturday night in Pittsburgh with the Atlantic Coast Conference posting 38 selections tied with the Big 12 for third behind the SEC’s record 87 and the Big Ten’s haul. It was a draft headlined by Miami and Clemson, both of whom matched a program-tying figure of nine players selected, accounting for nearly half the league’s total. But the story doesn’t end at the seventh round. With camp invitations and undrafted free agent deals rolling in throughout the night and into Sunday morning, the ACC’s footprint on the 2026 rookie class is still expanding.
Want to know how your favorite team was graded on their performance in the draft? We chose PFF because they were the hardest and fairest (from our perspective) when doling out the reviews.
ACC Football In The NFL Draft
I. The Day-One Six
First Round · April 23 · Pittsburgh, PA
The ACC sent six players into the first round, its strongest opening-day showing in three years. Miami led the way with three first-rounders, all in the top 22, while Clemson closed the round with two picks separated by a dozen selections. Georgia Tech’s Keylan Rutledge gave the conference a sixth name on the board.
| Pick | Player | Pos | School | NFL Team |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | Francis Mauigoa | OT | Miami | NY Giants |
| 15 | Rueben Bain Jr. | EDGE | Miami | Tampa Bay |
| 17 | Blake Miller | OT | Clemson | Detroit |
| 22 | Akheem Mesidor | EDGE | Miami | LA Chargers |
| 26 | Keylan Rutledge | OG | Georgia Tech | Houston |
| 29 | Peter Woods | DT | Clemson | Kansas City |
II. The Complete 38
All Seven Rounds · By Selection Order
Below is every ACC player selected in the 2026 NFL Draft, in order. Boston College followed the Clemson-Miami pacesetters with four selections; Duke had three; Georgia Tech, NC State, Stanford and Wake Forest each had two. California, Florida State, Louisville, Pitt and SMU rounded out the conference with one apiece.
Round 1
| Pick | Player | Pos | School | NFL Team |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | Francis Mauigoa | OT | Miami | NY Giants |
| 15 | Rueben Bain Jr. | EDGE | Miami | Tampa Bay |
| 17 | Blake Miller | OT | Clemson | Detroit |
| 22 | Akheem Mesidor | EDGE | Miami | LA Chargers |
| 26 | Keylan Rutledge | OG | Georgia Tech | Houston |
| 29 | Peter Woods | DT | Clemson | Kansas City |
Round 2
| Pick | Player | Pos | School | NFL Team |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 35 | T.J. Parker | LB | Clemson | Buffalo |
| 48 | Avieon Terrell | CB | Clemson | Atlanta |
Beach Volleyball | Cardinal, ‘Noles And Bears In Top 10
Round 3
| Pick | Player | Pos | School | NFL Team |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 65 | Carson Beck | QB | Miami | Arizona |
| 68 | Markel Bell | OT | Miami | Philadelphia |
| 69 | Sam Roush | TE | Stanford | Chicago |
| 71 | Antonio Williams | WR | Clemson | Washington |
| 94 | Chris Bell | WR | Louisville | Miami |
| 98 | Jakobe Thomas | S | Miami | Minnesota |
Round 4
| Pick | Player | Pos | School | NFL Team |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 102 | Jude Bowry | OT | Boston College | Buffalo |
| 103 | Darrell Jackson Jr. | DT | Florida State | NY Jets |
| 110 | Cade Klubnik | QB | Clemson | NY Jets |
| 116 | Keionte Scott | CB | Miami | Tampa Bay |
| 119 | Wesley Williams | EDGE | Duke | Jacksonville |
| 123 | Wade Woodaz | LB | Clemson | Houston |
| 133 | Matthew Hibner | TE | SMU | Baltimore |
| 138 | Kyle Louis | LB | Pitt | Miami |
Round 5
| Pick | Player | Pos | School | NFL Team |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 152 | Justin Joly | TE | NC State | Denver |
| 155 | DeMonte Capehart | DT | Clemson | Tampa Bay |
| 162 | Chandler Rivers | CB | Duke | Baltimore |
| 171 | Karon Prunty | CB | Wake Forest | New England |
| 174 | Adam Randall | RB | Clemson | Baltimore |
| 175 | Hezekiah Masses | CB | California | Las Vegas |
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Round 6
| Pick | Player | Pos | School | NFL Team |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 188 | Anez Cooper | OG | Miami | NY Jets |
| 189 | Brian Parker II | OG | Duke | Cincinnati |
| 197 | CJ Daniels | WR | Miami | LA Rams |
| 198 | Demond Claiborne | RB | Wake Forest | Minnesota |
| 202 | Logan Taylor | OG | Boston College | LA Chargers |
| 203 | C.J. Williams | WR | Stanford | Jacksonville |
| 204 | Lewis Bond | WR | Boston College | Houston |
| 213 | Jordan van den Berg | DT | Georgia Tech | Chicago |
Round 7
| Pick | Player | Pos | School | NFL Team |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 229 | Brandon Cleveland | DT | NC State | Las Vegas |
| 247 | Quintayvious Hutchins | EDGE | Boston College | New England |
III. The School-by-School Tally
13 Programs Represented
The ACC’s 38 picks were distributed across thirteen of the conference’s seventeen football programs. North Carolina, Syracuse, Virginia, and Virginia Tech were the four schools without a draftee — though several from that group placed players on UDFA rosters within hours of the draft’s conclusion.
| School | Picks |
|---|---|
| Clemson | 9 |
| Miami | 9 |
| Boston College | 4 |
| Duke | 3 |
| Georgia Tech | 2 |
| NC State | 2 |
| Stanford | 2 |
| Wake Forest | 2 |
| California | 1 |
| Florida State | 1 |
| Louisville | 1 |
| Pitt | 1 |
| SMU | 1 |
| Total | 38 |
IV. The Undrafted Class
UDFA Signings & Camp Invites · As Reported
The hours after ‘Mr. Irrelevant’ always belong to the agents and area scouts working the phones, and the 2026 cycle was no different. Below are the ACC players reported as signing undrafted free-agent deals or accepting rookie minicamp invitations as of Sunday morning. Keep in mind some of these are subject to change and no doubt, additional names will be added to the list after this story is published.
| NFL Team | Player | Pos | School |
|---|---|---|---|
| Atlanta Falcons | Andrel Anthony | WR | Duke |
| Atlanta Falcons | Keelan Marion | WR | Miami |
| Atlanta Falcons | Malik Rutherford | WR | Georgia Tech |
| Baltimore Ravens | Trevonte Sylvester | OT | Louisville |
| Baltimore Ravens | Ladarius Webb Jr. | S | Wake Forest |
| Buffalo Bills | Desmond Reid | RB | Pitt |
| Buffalo Bills | Bruno Fina | OL | Duke |
| Carolina Panthers | Haynes King | QB | Georgia Tech ($250K guaranteed) |
| Carolina Panthers | Aaron Hall | DT | Duke |
| Chicago Bears | Miller Moss | QB | Louisville |
| Chicago Bears | Squirrel White | WR | Florida State |
| Chicago Bears | Jayden Loving | DT | Wake Forest |
| Cincinnati Bengals | Jamal Haynes | RB | Georgia Tech |
| Dallas Cowboys | Jordan Hudson | WR | SMU |
| Denver Broncos | Cam Ross | WR | Virginia |
| Denver Broncos | Ahmari Harvey | CB | Georgia Tech |
| Green Bay Packers | TJ Quinn | LB | Louisville |
| Green Bay Packers | RJ Maryland | TE | SMU |
| Houston Texans | Collin Wright | CB | Stanford |
| Houston Texans | Sabastian Hars | DE | NC State |
| Jacksonville Jaguars | Devon Marshall | CB | NC State |
| Jacksonville Jaguars | J’Mari Taylor | RB | Virginia |
| Kansas City Chiefs | Pete Nygra | C | Louisville |
| Kansas City Chiefs | Wesley Bissainthe | LB | Miami |
| Las Vegas Raiders | Cian Slone | EDGE | NC State |
| Las Vegas Raiders | Justin Pickett | OL | Duke |
| LA Rams | Austin Blaske | OL | North Carolina |
| Miami Dolphins | Rene Konga | DL | Louisville |
| Minnesota Vikings | Marcus Allen | CB | North Carolina |
| Minnesota Vikings | Tristan Leigh | OL | Clemson |
| New England Patriots | David Blay | DT | Miami |
| New England Patriots | Jacob Rizy | C | Florida State |
| New Orleans Saints | Cody Hardy | TE | NC State |
| NY Giants | Ben Mann | LS | Boston College |
| NY Giants | Thaddeus Dixon | CB | North Carolina |
| NY Jets | Caullin Lacy | WR | Louisville |
| San Francisco 49ers | Wesley Grimes | WR | NC State |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Eric Rivers | WR | Georgia Tech |
| Tennessee Titans | Jeadyn Lukus | CB | Clemson |
| Tennessee Titans | Sean Brown | LB | NC State |
UDFA list compiled from team announcements and reporting from NFL Network, ESPN, CBS Sports, and theScore. Some signings remain unofficial pending physicals.
Five Takeaways from the ACC’s Draft Weekend
1. Miami’s program-tying nine matched a Hurricanes high and reinforced what Mario Cristobal has been building. With three first-rounders, a Day-Two QB in Carson Beck, and trench depth at every level the “U” may indeed be back. Can they continue down this path in both the ACC and NFL?
2. Clemson’s nine selections set a program record, with Dabo Swinney sending two first-round defenders to the NFL and a second-round linebacker (T.J. Parker) to Buffalo. That should be enough however Cade Klubnik’s slide to the fourth round will be one of the storylines to track. His performance in the NFL is something to watch closely and if he stumbles, pundits will wag their fingers at the Tigers.
3. Boston College quietly finished third in the league with four picks across the offensive line, defensive front, and edge. This is a development tied directly to Bill O’Brien’s first full recruiting and development cycle paying off. The former NFL coach is slowly building toward higher expectations within the conference. The question always comes back around to if the Eagles are willing to invest heavily in the program to generated further success stories.
4. Four ACC programs went without a draftee – North Carolina, Syracuse, Virginia, and Virginia Tech but all four placed at least one player into UDFA situations within hours, with UNC alone signing three. This isn’t a situation that is likely to repeat considering the investments a majority of these schools have made in their programs. Now, it’s simply a matter of sitting back and watching if those efforts pay off.
5. The conference’s 38 picks tied the Big 12 for third place behind the SEC’s record 87 and the Big Ten’s haul. The gap with the top two leagues is a story unto itself; the depth across thirteen ACC programs is the counterargument and can’t be ignored. The reality is that the ACC is more than a basketball conference and with continued effort on the part of conference teams there will be rewards.
