ACC furnishing NFL talent

Would the Carolina Panthers use a first-round draft pick on North Carolina's Hakeem Nicks in April's NFL draft?

The odds are against it even though Nicks, a junior who likely will leave college early, was a high school star in Charlotte. As a rule, NFL teams are hesitant to use top picks on wide receivers. The thinking among many NFL coaches and personnel directors is that receivers are plentiful and generally unpredictable.

But from a historic perspective, the ACC has been fertile ground for NFL wideouts. Over the years, the ACC has turned out more quality wide receivers than running backs, the latest example being likely future Hall of Famer Torry Holt from N.C. State.

Following is my list of the ACC's top three NFL players in most of the basic categories:

QUARTERBACK

1. Sonny Jurgensen, Duke, 1956

2. Philip Rivers, N.C. State, 2003

3. Roman Gabriel, N.C. State, 1961

RUNNING BACK

1. Tiki Barber, Virginia, 1996

2. Warrick Dunn, Florida State, 1996

3. Ted Brown, N.C. State, 1978

WIDE RECEIVER

1. Torry Holt, N.C. State, 1998

2. Herman Moore, Virginia, 1990

3. Ricky Proehl, Wake Forest, 1989

OFFENSIVE LINE

1. Jim Ritcher, N.C. State, 1979

2. Jeff Saturday, UNC, 1988

3. Jim Dombrowski, Virginia, 1985

TIGHT END

1. Alge Crumpler, UNC, 2000

2. Bennie Cunningham, Clemson, 1975

3. Gary Collins, Maryland, 1961

LINEBACKER

1. Lawrence Taylor, UNC, 1980

2. Derrick Brooks, Florida State, 1994

3. Marvin Jones, Florida State, 1992

DEFENSIVE LINE

1. Randy White, Maryland, 1974

2. Julius Peppers, UNC, 2001

3. Michael Dean Perry, Clemson, 1987

SECONDARY

1. Terry Kinard, Clemson, 1977

2. Dre' Bly, UNC, 1998

3. Donnell Woolford, Clemson, 1988