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Anyone stay up for that Clippers comeback? Wow.

• NFC South blogger Pat Yasinskas compares new Panther Luke Kuechly to Dan Morgan.
• Stephen Hill was a fan favorite at Radio City, Jane McManus writes on ESPNNY.com.
• RecruitingNation looks at the top uncommitted linebackers, some of whom FSU and Miami are after.
• The New York Post's Steve Serby sits down with new Jet and former Tar Heel Quinton Coples.
• Former Virgina Tech running back and Giants first-round pick David Wilson keeps going and going, Jorge Castillo writes in the Newark Star-Ledger.

Despite a 6-6 season in 2011, Miami led all ACC schools with six players getting selected during this past weekend's NFL draft. The ACC as a whole had 31 players selected, the third most among all conferences, behind the Big Ten (41) and, yes, the SEC (42).

NC State had five players taken, the second most among ACC schools. Neither the Hurricanes nor the Wolfpack had any players taken in the first two rounds. Duke and Maryland both had zero players drafted.

Luke Kuechly, as expected, got the ball rolling for the conference Thursday night, when the Panthers took the former Boston College inside linebacker ninth overall. I was a little surprised to see Georgia Tech's Stephen Hill, projected by many as a late first-rounder, fall all the way to the Jets at No. 43.

Here's a school-by-school breakdown of the draft, followed by a round-by-round breakdown:

Miami: 6
NC State: 5
Clemson: 4
FSU: 4
Wake Forest: 4
Virginia Tech: 3
UNC: 2
Georgia Tech: 1
Virginia: 1
Boston College: 1

FIRST ROUND
No. 9, Panthers: ILB Luke Kuechly, Boston College
No. 16, Jets: DE Quinton Coples, UNC
No. 31, Giants: RB David Wilson, Virginia Tech

SECOND ROUND
No. 38, Jaguars: DE Andre Branch, Clemson
No. 43, Jets: WR Stephen Hill, Georgia Tech
No. 52, Titans: OLB Zach Brown, UNC

THIRD ROUND
No. 64, Colts: TE Dwayne Allen, Clemson
No. 69, Bills: WR TJ Graham, NC State
No. 72, Dolphins: DE Olivier Vernon, Miami
No. 86, Steelers: LB Sean Spence, Miami
No. 93, Bengals: DT Brandon Thompson, Clemson
No. 94, Giants: CB Jayron Hosley, Virginia Tech

FOURTH ROUND
No. 96, Rams: WR Chris Givens, Wake Forest
No. 97, Dolphins: RB Lamar Miller, Miami
No. 100, Browns: WR Travis Benjamin, Miami
No. 105, Bills: OLB Nigel Bradham, FSU
No. 113, Cowboys: OLB Kyle Wilber, Wake Forest
No. 115, Titans: CB Coty Sensabaugh, Clemson
No. 117, 49ers: G Joe Looney, Wake Forest

FIFTH ROUND
No. 144, Bills: T Zebrie Sanders, FSU
No. 163, Packers: OLB Terrell Manning, NC State

SIXTH ROUND
No. 152, Cowboys: WR Danny Coale, Virginia Tech
No. 176, Jaguars: CB Mike Harris, FSU
No. 187, Jets: S Josh Bush, Wake Forest
No. 198, Ravens: WR Tommy Streeter, Miami
No. 200, Eagles: G Brandon Washington, Miami

SEVENTH ROUND
No. 210, Vikings: ILB Audie Cole, NC State
No. 225, Seahawks: DE JR Sweezy, NC State
No. 237, 49ers: DE Cam Johnson, Virginia
No. 239, Giants: DT Markus Kuhn, NC State
No. 241, Packers: T Andrew Datko, FSU

One of the NFL draft's biggest surprises came right before the curtains closed at Radio City.

The New York Giants took Virginia Tech running back David Wilson with the 32nd and final pick Thursday night, giving the ACC three players taken in the draft's first round.

To the surprise of no one, Boston College linebacker Luke Kuechly was the first conference player off the board, going No. 9 to the Carolina Panthers. North Carolina end Quinton Coples followed seven picks later, going to the New York Jets at No. 16.

The reigning ACC player of the year, Wilson figures to be the Giants' replacement for Brandon Jacobs, who departed in the offseason. New York finished last in the league on the ground in 2011.

"That, but also we’re looking at the fact that Brandon [Jacobs] is no longer here and we do have to try to balance that out," Giants coach Tom Coughlin said. "We believe that you do have to have multiple runners or at least two that can effectively take the field at any time and this young man we thought was one of those that can be a big play threat."

Wilson, who who set a school record with 1,709 rushing yards in 2011, became the Hokies' ninth first-round pick and the seventh during coach Frank Beamer's tenure. Beamer has had 83 of his former players drafted.

Kuechly became BC's 19th first-round pick, and after winning the Nagurski Trophy, Butkus Award, Lombardi Award and Lott Impact Trophy, he is thought of as one of the surest things of this draft class.

Coples became the Tar Heels' 20th first-round pick and their second defensive end in two years to be taken on Day 1. Jets coach Rex Ryan served as an honorary tackle to block against Coples last month at UNC's pro day.

"They knew I could get to the quarterback and help this team get to the Super Bowl," Coples told ESPN Radio. "It's good to be a Jet. I'm just going to go out there and be the best pass-rusher I can be."

The ACC figured to have at least three players taken on Thursday, but Georgia Tech's Stephen Hill was expected to be among them. Instead, the receiver will likely be an early pick Friday. He is one of Todd McShay's top five players still on the board.

With the NFL draft ready to get started in a few hours, RecruitingNation's Dave Hooker re-visited the high school narratives of a few potential first-rounders .

Here's a look at two ACC players likely to learn their futures tonight:

Luke Kuechly, LB, Boston College

Class of 2009
Kiper rank: 9 | McShay rank: 7
ESPN 150: NR | Position rank: 19 | Grade: 79 | High school eval
The prospect from Cincinnati Saint Xavier chose Boston College because of academics as much as for football. Need proof? His runners-up were Duke, Stanford and Virginia. He was even willing to stick to his commitment through a coaching change during his high school senior season.

Quinton Coples, DE, North Carolina

Class of 2008
Kiper rank: 15 | McShay rank: 14
ESPN 150: NR | Position rank: 34 | Grade: 78 | High school eval
Coples could have signed with most any school he wanted on the East Coast. After a stopover at a prep school, he chose to stay home and play with the Tar Heels.

As for where these players could end up in the NFL, Scouts Inc.'s Todd McShay took one more shot on the day of the draft, and all three of the ACC players he had going in the first round Wednesday slipped down a few spots Thursday.

Kuechly has gone from the Bucs at No. 5 to the Bills at No. 10 , Coples has dropped from the Bears at No. 19 to the Titans at No. 20 and Georgia Tech's Stephen Hill has slipped from the Bengals at No. 21 to the Ravens at No. 29.

Michael Brockers, Quinton Coples, Stephon Gilmore, Stephen Hill, Luke Kuechly, Ryan Tannehill, Courtney Upshaw, Russell Wilson and Jerel Worthy talk about their playing days before NCAA football.

It's NFL draft eve, and it's the last Wednesday before the event, meaning one last chance for our team of analysts to predict how this weekend will unfold.

Mel Kiper and Todd McShay reveal their final draft boards, and each has a mock , with McShay and the rest of the Scouts Inc. team going seven rounds full .

Boston College linebacker Luke Kuechly, naturally, tops the list, going No. 5 to the Buccaneers. North Carolina end Quinton Coples is next off the board at No. 19, to the Bears, with wideout Stephen Hill from Georgia Tech going two spots later to the Bengals.

How do the rest of the ACC's draft-eligible players stand? Let's take a look:

ROUND 2
No. 36, Buccaneers: RB David Wilson (Virginia Tech)
No. 50, Bears: OLB Zach Brown (UNC)
No. 58, Texans: DE Andre Branch (Clemson)
No. 59, Packers: RB Lamar Miller (Miami)

ROUND 3
No. 64, Colts: DT Brandon Thompson (Clemson)
No. 68, Buccaneers: CB Jayron Hosley (Virginia Tech)
No. 72, Dolphins: OT Zebrie Sanders (FSU)
No. 76, Texans: TE Dwayne Allen (Clemson)
No. 80, Cardinals: DE Olivier Vernon (Miami)
No. 82, Titans: WR Chris Givens (Wake Forest)
No. 91, Ravens: G Joe Looney (Wake Forest)
No. 95, Raiders: DE Cam Johnson (Virginia)

ROUND 4
No. 100, Browns: OLB Nigel Bradham (FSU)
No. 124, Bills: OLB Sean Spence (Miami)
No. 125, 49ers: CB Chase Minnifield (Virginia)
No. 128, Vikings: OLB Terrell Manning (NC State)
No. 129, Raiders: OLB Kyle Wilber (Wake Forest)
No. 130, Ravens: WR Danny Coale (Virginia Tech)

ROUND 5
No. 154, Jets: WR Tommy Streeter (Miami)
No. 157, Falcons: WR TJ Graham (NC State)
No. 159, Steelers: G Brandon Washington (Miami)
No. 162, Saints: CB Coty Sensabaugh (Clemson)

ROUND 6
No. 176, Jaguars: DT Marcus Forston (Miami)
No. 178, Bills: ILB Audie Cole (NC State)
No. 188, Broncos: DE Rennie Moore (Clemson)
No. 191, Bengals: WR Travis Benjamin (Miami)
No. 197, Packers: OT Andrew Datko (FSU)
No. 205, Browns: G Antoine McClain (Clemson)

ROUND 7
No. 209, Rams: WR Dwight Jones (UNC)
No. 240, Steelers: DE Matt Conrath (Virginia)
No. 242, Jets: TE George Bryan (NC State)
No. 243, Packers: RB Davin Meggett (Maryland)
No. 245, Browns: DT Markus Kuhn (NC State)
No. 250, Chargers: CB Donnie Fletcher (BC)

Here's a breakdown by school of the 37 ACC players that Scouts Inc. thinks will be drafted:

Miami: 7
Clemson: 6
NC State: 5
Virginia Tech: 3
UNC: 3
Virginia: 3
Wake Forest: 3
FSU: 3
BC: 2
Georgia Tech: 1
Maryland: 1
Duke: 0

It's never too early to begin thinking about fantasy football, right?

Our team of NFL bloggers played another version of the game this week, mocking the first round of the NFL draft. Trades were involved. Emails were endlessly sent back and forth. But in the end, a picture was painted of how Thursday night might unfold in New York.

The first ACC player off the board was no surprise, as NFC South blogger Pat Yasinskas took Boston College linebacker Luke Kuechly with the Panthers' No. 9 pick.

Mel Kiper took a different approach Wednesday to potential NFL Draft outcomes, listing who he would pick if he were selecting for each team in Rounds 1-3, then compiling those players into a "best possible" scenario for each franchise.

The tally revealed 14 players from ACC schools in the first three rounds, and, to change things up a bit, we'll list them here in order of the selection Kiper has them going to their respective teams.

No. 9, Panthers: LB Luke Kuechly (BC)
No. 12, Seahawks: DE Quinton Coples (UNC)
No. 38, Jaguars: WR Stephen Hill (Georgia Tech)
No. 45, Cowboys: OLB Andre Branch (Clemson)
No. 46, Eagles: LB Zach Brown (UNC)
No. 51, Eagles: TE Dwayne Allen (Clemson)
No. 53, Bengals: CB Jayron Hosley (Virginia Tech)
No. 60, Ravens: OLB Terrell Manning (N.C. State)
No. 63, Giants: RB David Wilson (Va. Tech)
No. 65, Rams: RB Lamar Miller (Miami)
No. 69, Redskins: OT Zebrie Sanders (FSU)
No. 84, Falcons: DE Olivier Vernon (Miami)
No. 86, Steelers: DT Brandon Thompson (Clemson)
No. 93, Patriots: WR Chris Givens (Wake Forest)

Kuechly has moved up a spot to No. 9 on Kiper's 25-man Big Board this week, and Coples has dropped a spot to No. 15.

On Todd McShay's 32-man draft board, Kuechly is up three spots to No. 7, Coples is down five spots to No. 14 and Hill has moved in at No. 30. Branch rounds out the ACC contingent at No. 31, having dropped two spots.

A record 26 players will be in attendance for the April 26 NFL draft, but only two from ACC schools will be at Radio City Music Hall.

North Carolina's Quinton Coples and Georgia Tech's Stephen Hill will represent the conference, which will have one more player there than the Big Ten and two more than the Big East, which will have none. (Though we won't hold it against them if they try to claim the trio going from Boise State, Memphis and Notre Dame.)

The SEC will have 12 players in New York, led by a record five from national champion Alabama. The Pac-12 and Big 12 will each have four.

In his latest mock draft this week , Scouts Inc.'s Todd McShay had Coples and Hill going 12th and 26th, respectively, to the Seahawks and Texans.

The ACC player likely to be selected highest in the draft, Boston College's Luke Kuechly, has chosen to watch it from home with friends and family, our Jeffri Chadiha noted Thursday in a story on the linebacker.

Boston College's Luke Kuechly and North Carolina's Quinton Coples are the first ACC players off the board in Scouts Inc.'s Todd McShay's mock draft this week , going Nos. 11 and 12 to the Chiefs and Seahawks, respectively.

McShay presents as many as five scenarios for each NFL team in this mock, ultimately placing players where he thinks the chips will fall come draft day. Georgia Tech's Stephen Hill, McShay suggests, is Houston-bound at No. 26, while Clemson's Andre Branch is going to the Packers at No. 28.

Mel Kiper, meanwhile, lists Coples as one of the five players he feels are being a little overrated versus where he assumes they will go in the NFL Draft , writing:

A very good player, but he doesn't fit the profile that would have him as the best 4-3 defensive end in most years. Coples belongs in the middle of the first round and becomes a little overrated for me when I see him pegged as a safe top-10 pick.

Coples is No. 14 on Kiper's 25-man Big Board this week , four spots behind Kuechly at No. 10.

Hill dropped from No. 4 to No. 5 among receivers this week on Kiper's top-5 by position , and North Carolina State's Terrell Manning fell from fourth to fifth among outside linebackers. The rest of the ACC contingent remained in the same spots as last week.

Scouts Inc.'s Steve Muench takes a look today at the Minnesota Vikings' options for the upcoming NFL draft, and a pair of ACC players could be in the picture in Rounds 2 and 3.

The Vikings' second pick is No. 35, and with injury concerns with Percy Harvin and Michael Jenkins, Georgia Tech's Stephen Hill could be in play.

There should be good value at receiver at the top of the second round, and NFL combine standout Stephen Hill (89) from Georgia Tech could slide to the Vikings. Hill (6-4, 215) has the frame and top-end speed (4.36 in the 40-yard dash) to develop into a vertical playmaker who can open up the short-to-intermediate routes for Harvin, who is at his best after the catch.

In the third round, at the No. 66 spot, Muench thinks the Vikings will look to help their poor pass defense.

Virginia Tech's Jayron Hosley (78) is a name to keep an eye on. Hosley (5-10, 178) needs to get stronger and a hamstring injury that slowed him in 2011 raises concerns about his durability, but he has the instincts, burst and ball skills to push for early playing time and quickly develop into a playmaker.

Mel Kiper Jr.'s fourth mock draft Wednesday goes two rounds , with Clemson and North Carolina each featuring two players, the most among ACC schools.

Kiper has the Tar Heels' Quinton Coples going 12th to the Seahawks and Zach Brown going 46th to the Eagles. The Tigers have a pair of second-rounders in Andre Branch (42nd, Dolphins) and Dwayne Allen (51st, Eagles).

Boston College's Luke Kuechly is projected to be taken the highest among ACC players, with Kiper slating him for the 11th pick, which belongs to the Chiefs. Georgia Tech's Stephen Hill is the last first-rounder from the ACC (30th, 49ers).

Kiper has the Ravens selecting North Carolina State's Terrell Manning with the 60th pick and the Giants wrapping up the second round by selecting Virginia Tech's David Wilson.

Kuechly and Coples are the only ACC players on Kiper's 25-man Big Board , coming in at Nos. 7 and 13, respectively. Coples and Kuechly are Nos. 9 and 10 on Todd McShay's 32-man draft board , with Branch coming in at No. 29.

Coples and Branch have each dropped from one spot, to Nos. 2 and 5, among defensive ends this week in Kiper's top-5s by position . South Carolina's Mel Ingram has unseated Coples as the top end. Manning dropped from third to fourth among outside linebackers, and Miami's Brandon Washington is no longer among the top guards after coming in at No. 5 a week ago. The rest of the ACC contingent remains unchanged from a week ago.

Four Clemson players appear among the first two rounds of Todd McShay's latest mock draft , highlighting the contingent of 11 ACC players.

McShay has Chandler Jones and Andre Branch going 27th and 28th to the Patriots and Packers, respectively, and he has Brandon Thompson and Dwayne Allen going 47th and 50th, to the Jets and Bears.

Five former ACC players appear in the first round of McShay's latest mock draft, led by Boston College's Luke Kuechly, slated 11th to the Chiefs. North Carolina's Quinton Coples is at No. 12, to the Seahawks.

Georgia Tech wideout Stephen Hill is slotted in at No. 30, to the 49ers.

North Carolina's Zach Brown (36th, Buccaneers), Miami's Lamar Miller (53rd, Bengals), Virginia Tech's David Wilson (57th, Broncos) and Florida State's Zebrie Sanders (58th, Texans) round out the ACC pool among McShay's first two rounds.

Kuechly is seventh on McShay's 32-man draft board , and Coples is ninth. Both appear in the same spots on Mel Kiper's 25-man Big Board . Branch is 22nd and Hill is 31st on McShay's board.

Kiper had no changes among ACC players from last week to this week in his top-5 by position rankings .

Quinton Coples remains Mel Kiper's top defensive end prospect , Luke Kuechly is still his top linebacker and Lamar Miller and David Wilson round out the analyst's top running backs available in next month's draft.

Clemson's Andre Branch is once again the No. 4 defensive end, though the pool of top pass-rushers could see some movement in the coming month.

Coples has the best frame to hold up as a 4-3 defensive end among the group, but hasn't run away. [Melvin] Ingram is closing and had a good week in Indy. Branch has the size and athleticism to move to 3-4 outside linebacker. [Nick] Perry has been very good in the draft process, though I can see some teams asking him to stand up as a pass-rusher in a 3-4. It just depends on where he lands.

The rest of the ACC lineup remained unchanged from last week:

• Georgia Tech's Stephen Hill (No. 4 receiver)
• Clemson's Dwayne Allen (No. 2 tight end)
• Miami's Brandon Washington (No. 5 guard)
• North Carolina State's Terrell Manning (No. 3 outside linebacker)
• Florida State's Shawn Powell (No. 3 punter)

Luke Kuechly headlines all ACC players on Mel Kiper's and Todd McShay's draft boards this week, coming in at No. 7 and No. 8, respectively.

The Boston College linebacker jumped two spots on Kiper's 25-man Big Board and one spot on McShay's 32-man draft board , and he is immediately followed by North Carolina defensive end Quinton Coples on each board.

Andre Branch jumped six spots on McShay's board, to No. 20.

Both Kuechly and Coples are No. 1 in Kiper's top-5 players by position .

Miami's Lamar Miller and David Wilson of Virginia Tech come in at Nos. 4 and 5, respectively, among Kiper's top 5 running backs. In McShay's nickel package , Miller and Wilson are the Nos. 2 and 3 backs, respectively. McShay examines potential destinations for the top running backs in this year's draft class and places a priority on ball security, with Miller checking in very favorably in that department.

As for the rest of the ACC contingent cracking Kiper's position rankings this week ...

• Georgia Tech's Stephen Hill (No. 4 receiver)
• Clemson's Dwayne Allen (No. 2 tight end)
• Miami's Brandon Washington (No. 5 guard)
• Clemson's Andre Branch (No. 4 defensive end)
• North Carolina State's Terrell Manning (No. 3 outside linebacker)
• Florida State's Shawn Powell (No. 3 punter)