We continue with our All-ACC NFL team today, this time taking a look at the defense. As I mentioned yesterday, the defense will be based on a nickel package and consist of two edge, two interior defensive linemen, two linebackers, and five defensive backs. Each section will have starters and a backup and since this is a UNC site, if a North Carolina player wasn’t mentioned and one was available for the position, I created a Tar Heel spotlight for that position.
A quick reminder of the rules:
1. All
players had to be drafted from the one of the 17 ACC football schools (Notre Dame is ineligible).
2. The player just has to be drafted from the school, not necessarily to have played at that school while in the ACC.
If you want more detail on the rules or want to check out the offense, click here. Otherwise, let’s dive into the defensive side of the ball.
Edge
Starters: Brian Burns (New York Giants/Florida State Seminoles), Jared Verse (Los Angeles Rams/Florida State Seminoles)
Burns finished second in the NFL with 16.5 sacks this past season (a number that normally would’ve led the league, if not for Myles Garrett’s video game-like season). The former Seminole also led all NFL edge rushers with seven batted passes.
Verse led the Rams with 7.5 sacks and forced three fumbles. He also had 20 QB hits this past season to give Florida State a huge ACC advantage on the Edge position in the NFL.
Backups: Yaya Diaby (Tampa Bay Buccaneers/Louisville Cardinals), Greg Rousseau (Buffalo Bills/Miami Hurricanes)
Diaby and Rousseau both finished the season with seven sacks this past season for the Buccaneers and Bills respectively. Diaby, the lone Louisville Cardinal on this squad, led the Bucs in TFLs, while Rousseau had the Bills only blocked kick of the season.
Interior Defensive Line
Starters: Zach Allen (Denver Broncos/Boston College Eagles), Kobie Turner (Los Angeles Rams/Wake Forest Demon Deacons)
Allen led all interior defensive linemen this past season with 73 pressures and 36 hits. The former Eagle also had seven sacks as he was named second team All-Pro and a reserve for the Pro Bowl.
Turner was one of PFF’s highest rated interior defensive linemen this past season, recording 55 stops and sacking the quarterback seven times. The former Demon Deacon also had 40 QB hurries for a Rams team that fell one game shy of the Super Bowl this past season.
Backup: Dexter Lawrence (New York Giants/Clemson Tigers)
Lawrence had a solid year for the Giants, finishing with 34 pressures and 16 stops to finish in the top 10 for interior defensive linemen according to PFF. However, that wasn’t good enough for New York, who sent the former Tiger to Cincinnati for the tenth pick in the draft.
Linebacker
Starters: Cedric Gray (Tennessee Titans/North Carolina Tar Heels), Payton Wilson (Pittsburgh Steelers/NC State Wolfpack)
Gray was one the best tackling linebackers in the NFL this past season. His 164 tackles were good for fourth best in the league and his 64 stops was good for second amongst all linebackers, which in turn earned him top 10 linebacker status per PFF — despite playing for a bad Titans squad.
Wilson was an above average player for the Pittsburgh Steelers this past season. The former Wolfpack linebacker led the Steelers in total tackles while also getting two sacks and grabbing an interception.
Backup: Bobby Okereke (New York Giants/Stanford Cardinal)
Okereke was one of the top ten tacklers in the NFL this past season. The former Cardinal finished with 143 tackles while also getting two interceptions and a sack playing a ton of snaps for the Giants.
Cornerbacks
Starters: Mike Jackson (Carolina Panthers/Miami Hurricanes), Nate Wiggins (Baltimore Ravens/Clemson Tigers), AJ Terrell (Atlanta Falcons/Clemson Tigers)
Jackson had a great season last year for the Panthers. The former Hurricane finished in the top five per PFF while grabbing four interceptions and breaking up 19 passes last year for the Panthers.
Wiggins also had a good season, finishing with three interceptions and breaking up 14 passes for the Ravens. The former Tiger was also one of the top tackling corners in the NFL with 69 solo tackles.
Terrell gives Clemson two former corners on this list, as he had 12 pass breakups to go along with two forced fumbles this past season for the Falcons. Terrell also ranked as the NFL’s sixth best shutdown corner last year.
Backups: Jarrian Jones (Jacksonville Jaguars/Florida State Seminoles), Nohl Williams (Kansas City Chiefs/California Golden Bears)
Jones rated as a top five cornerback for PFF this past season. The former Seminole had three interceptions and eight pass breakups for the Jaguars last year.
Williams was a top 15 corner per PFF last season. The former Golden Bear finished the year with seven pass breakups and one sack for Chiefs.
Tar Heel Spotlight: Alijah Huzzie (Houston Texans)
Huzzie played only 23 snaps this past season for the Texans, but did record an interception.
Safeties
Starters: Jessie Bates III (Atlanta Falcons/Wake Forest Demon Deacons), Derwin James (Los Angeles Chargers/Florida State Seminoles)
Bates was a second-team All-Pro this past season. The former Demon Deacon finished the season with three interceptions and six pass breakups for the Falcons.
James, a top 10 safety per PFF, was also a second-team All-Pro this past season and made the Pro Bowl squad as a reserve. The former Seminole also had three interceptions this past season to go with two sacks.
Backups: Avante Maddox (Detroit Lions/Pittsburgh Panthers), Chamarri Conner (Kansas City Chiefs/Virginia Tech Hokies)
Maddox stepped up this season for a Lions secondary that suffered a lot of injuries and performed well, finishing in the top ten per PFF. The former Pitt Panther finished the season with an interception and a forced fumble.
Connor led all safeties in forced fumbles this past season while also finishing in the top ten in tackles. The former Hokie also had two sacks and an interception for the Chiefs.
