2023 NFL Draft: Reacting to the 2022 Preseason All-ACC Team Selections
On July 27, the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) became the latest conference to release its 2022 preseason all-conference picks, as selected by the media. The ACC hopes to send a significant number of players to the NFL after the season, and based on the all-preseason team, it should be able to accomplish this goal. To be sure, numerous ACC stars did not make the team and will nevertheless get drafted in 2023. But the preseason team is a useful starting point for assessing the draft potential of the conference’s main players.
To see the full press release and the team from the ACC, click here.
Offense
Starting with the offense: NC State’s Devin Leary checks in as the first-team quarterback. He also earned recognition as the conference’s preseason-projected “Player of the Year.” Leary might rise up draft boards this season; he puts up terrific numbers and has excellent poise in the pocket. His size might be an issue, but Leary is an exciting talent. It’s not clear he’s the top draft prospect at quarterback in the conference—that is probably Miami’s Tyler Van Dyke—but Leary deserves respect for what he was able to do last season with the Wolfpack.
At running back, Syracuse’s Sean Tucker should be at least a mid-round selection. He has stellar athleticism and is poised to put up a big season for the Orange (again). He could be an every-down back at the next level.
The trio of first-team wide receivers—UNC’s Josh Downs, Wake Forest’s A.T. Perry, and Boston College’s Zay Flowers—are all worthy of first-round hype. Any one of them could work their way into the top 32 selections with great play this season. Flowers, in particular, will benefit from having quarterback Phil Jurkovec throwing him the ball. But look out for the wide receiver play overall in the ACC this season; there are some special pass-catchers.
Miami tight end Will Mallory, another first-teamer is a 2023 draft prospect who is worth a look. He checks all of the necessary boxes to play the position in the NFL. Most importantly, he is emblematic of the new wave of tight ends that can either play with a hand in the dirt or split out at wide receiver. He is not in the top wave of tight ends in next year’s class, but he should get drafted.
Along the offensive line, the big name to know is Miami tackle Zion Nelson. I mocked Nelson to the Kansas City Chiefs with the 30th pick in my latest 2023 NFL Mock Draft—he is one of the best tackles in next year’s class (although, it should be noted, next year’s tackle class does not look particularly strong). Clemson’s Jordan McFadden and Boston College’s Christian Mahogany can both play, too, and both are good bets to hear their names called at some point in next year’s draft.
Defense
The story on defense is the defensive line. All four first-team defensive linemen—two Clemson players (Bryan Bresee and Myles Murphy) and two Pittsburgh players (Habakkuk Baldonado and Calijah Kancey)—could go in the first round, probably in the order just listed in terms of likelihood.
Bresee is perhaps the most fascinating of the bunch, as he was the No. 1 recruit in the country coming out of high school and cuts the frame of a prototypical defensive lineman (listed at 6-foot-5, 300 pounds). After earning ACC Defensive Rookie of the Year honors in 2020, he missed most of 2021 due to injury. With a big 2022 campaign, he would be a likely Top 10 pick. But NFL teams need to see him return to form.
Kancey is another guy to watch. He is a smaller defensive tackle from Pittsburgh who has drawn comparisons to another player with that same description: presumptive Hall-of-Famer Aaron Donald of the Los Angeles Rams. Kancey is quick and beats offensive linemen off the ball; his craftiness is a rare talent along the defensive line and there will be a place for him on an NFL roster.
At linebacker, look out for Trenton Simpson of Clemson, whose pass-rushing ability is terrifying for offensive coordinators. Simpson is going to need to prove that he is a complete player, but he is almost certain to be a first or second-round draftee come April of next year. NC State’s Payton Wilson is an intriguing player, too; like Bresee, he was an absolute superstar in 2020 and is now coming off an injury this year. When healthy, he’s a quality EDGE rusher who would be a difference-maker in the NFL. Wilson's teammate Drake Thomas rounds out the linebacking corps for the first-team roster.
In the defensive backfield, three of the four first-team picks are likely draftees: Louisville corner Kei’Trel Clark, Boston College corner Josh DeBerry, and Florida State safety Jammie Robinson. NC State safety Tanner Ingle will have an opportunity to showcase his talents, too, and it would not be a surprise if he ends up in the draft mix. Of the bunch, Clark is a standout—he is intensely physical with receivers (and ballcarriers!) and tracks the ball well. He showcases everything that a scout would want to see in a cornerback prospect.
Special Teams
Both the first-team kicker and punter for the ACC stand a chance at getting drafted next year. Clemson kicker B.T. Potter has been the Tigers’ main placekicker since 2019 and has done a fine job throughout that time, getting better over the years. Meanwhile, Miami punter and Australia native Lou Hedley may be the best punter in the country; NFL teams will strongly consider selecting him as the draft carries on, assuming he has another solid year for the Hurricanes.
