Where do Carson Beck, T.J. Parker rank? The 25 best players in the ACC in 2025
The Atlantic Coast Conference had 42 players selected in the 2025 NFL Draft — the league's highest total since 2021 — including No. 1 overall pick Cam Ward.
Ward was one of seven Miami Hurricanes picked, which led the ACC.
Clemson, which won its eighth league championship since 2015, had only three players selected. But the 2026 draft figures to be a big one for the Tigers.
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Dabo Swinney's roster is loaded with returning starters on both sides of the ball, and Clemson is considered a heavy favorite to win the league title again.
So, it shouldn't come as a surprise that there are a lot of Tigers on our list of the 25 best players in the league.
There might not be a better edge rusher in the country than the 6-foot-3, 265-pound junior from Phenix City, Ala. In 27 career games (17 starts), he has six forced fumbles, 32 tackles for loss and 16.5 sacks. He took over Clemson's 24-20 win at Pittsburgh last year (four sacks) and terrorized SMU in the ACC Championship Game.
It would not be a surprise if the ACC had the first edge rusher and offensive tackle taken in the 2026 NFL Draft. Mauigoa earned second-team All-ACC honors in 2024 and has been steadily improving in his two seasons as the Hurricanes' starting right tackle. He allowed only two sacks/hits last season — the only FBS tackle with two or fewer knockdowns on 500-plus pass-blocking snaps, according to Pro Football Focus.
The Tigers' two-headed monster on the defensive line, Parker and Woods, is one of several reasons they are favored to win the league in 2025. The 6-3, 315-pound Woods had 28 tackles, including 8.5 for loss and three sacks, in his first season as a full-time starter — solid numbers for an interior lineman.
Klubnik is third behind Arch Manning (Texas) and Garrett Nussmeier (LSU) in Heisman odds, according to BetMGM. The reality is Klubnik probably has a better collection of receivers and offensive linemen than those other two QBs, which is why Clemson has a legitimate shot to win the national title. Klubnik's passing efficiency rating jumped from 80th in 2023 to 28th last season. His 36 touchdown passes in 2024 are the most for any returning quarterback in the country.
Found myself watching Clemson/VT late into the night.
I still find this play by Cade Klubnik objectively ridiculous.
More like this from 2️⃣ in the fall, and great things will happen for the Tigers.
🎥: @ClemsonFB pic.twitter.com/mAvjL5x4zL
— Grayson Mann (@gray_mann21) June 17, 2025
Parker has to be the favorite for ACC Defensive Player of the Year honors in 2025, but keep an eye on this 6-foot, 225-pound redshirt junior from East Orange, N.J. Louis, a first-team All-ACC pick in 2024, had 101 tackles (second among returning ACC players), 15.5 TFLs, seven sacks and four interceptions as a redshirt sophomore. His size is the only reason NFL scouts are projecting him as a Day 2 pick.
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The 2023 ACC Defensive Rookie of the Year was limited to 5.5 tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks as he fought through injury and appeared in only nine games in 2024. But many expect the Miami native to regain his freshman-year form when he produced 12.5 tackles for loss and 7.5 sacks and was a menace along the defensive front. At 6-3, 275 pounds, Bain will line up both inside and outside for new defensive coordinator Corey Hetherman.
Williams, a former top-75 national recruit, was a first-team All-ACC pick in 2024, catching 75 passes for 904 yards and a league-leading 11 TDs. A redshirt junior from Irmo, S.C., Williams teams with sophomores Bryant Wesco and T.J. Moore to form the top wide receiver trio in the ACC and one of the best in the nation.
The 5-11, 180-pound junior and younger brother of 2020 NFL first-round pick A.J. Terrell earned second-team All-ACC honors last fall. He was credited with 58 tackles, two interceptions and 12 pass breakups. He's considered a much better run defender than his brother — something new Clemson defensive coordinator Tom Allen surely likes.
The 5-10 senior from Beaumont, Texas, is considered a top-50 prospect in the 2026 NFL Draft. He's been highly productive in his career, with 164 tackles, 12.5 TFLs, five interceptions and 21 pass breakups over three seasons in Durham. He earned first-team All-ACC honors in 2024 and will help anchor what should be a top-three secondary in the league.
The ACC player with the second-best odds to win the Heisman was Georgia's starting quarterback last season. Beck, considered at one point to be a candidate to be the No. 1 pick in the draft, would love to follow in the footsteps of Ward, who was the first pick after putting up huge numbers in Shannon Dawson's offense. Beck, however, doesn't have the same talent at receiver that Ward had to work with. But he does have an elite offensive line, talent in the backfield and plenty of pass-catchers eager to prove themselves.
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North Carolina's Omarion Hampton parlayed back-to-back ACC rushing titles into becoming a first-round pick. Brown, the top returning rusher in the league (1,173 yards as a true freshman), will be running behind an offensive line that returns only one starter. The good news is that Louisville coach Jeff Brohm has a pretty good track record in the portal. The Cards signed six O-line transfers who started at least seven games last season, including two from Power 4 schools. New quarterback Miller Moss (USC) can also spin it.
Louisville RB Isaac Brown will be one of the best 2027 Running Backs:
You want to talk about a modern day RB?
– Incredible burst– Dynamic receiver
1,100+ rush yards on 7.1 YPC and 30+ receptions as a true freshman.
Do-it-all running back at the next level. pic.twitter.com/tIo0JU3hjL
— Snoog's Fantasy HQ (@FFSnoog) May 19, 2025
Miller is one of the two returning first-team All-ACC offensive linemen. The 6-6, 315-pound Ohio native has started 41 games in his career, with all but two coming at right tackle. The only returning ACC offensive lineman with more career starts is the guy who lines up next to him at Clemson: right guard Walker Parks (42 starts).
Who are the ACC's most experienced quarterbacks? SMU backup Tyler Van Dyke and King, who both have 31 career starts. King finished second in the league last season to Ward in passing efficiency, throwing only two interceptions while completing 72.9 percent of his attempts for 2,114 yards and 14 touchdowns. Of course, what makes King so dynamic is his ability to take off and run, and his 587 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns are the most for a quarterback returning to the league this season.
Mensah, a former two-star recruit from California, got paid a lot of money to leave Tulane and replace Maalik Murphy (now at Oregon State). He ranked sixth nationally in passing efficiency as a redshirt freshman, completing 65.9 percent of his attempts for 2,723 yards, 22 touchdowns and only six interceptions. Duke has some holes to fill around Mensah, but three starters return on the offensive line, and the Blue Devils should again have a good defense.
The first-team All-ACC first selection in 2024 is one of two returning full-time starters from the No. 1 scoring defense in the league. The 6-1, 202-pound fifth-year senior, Dallas native and former three-star recruit is one of only four Power 4 players nationally who had 100 tackles and at least three interceptions last season.
Woodaz, a senior and former three-star recruit from Tampa, Fla., recorded 10 tackles for loss, three sacks, five pass breakups and one interception last season to earn All-ACC honorable mention honors. He will be asked to lead a linebacking corps that lost Barrett Carter to the NFL.
Few former FCS transfers made as big an impact last season as Reid did for the Panthers. He earned first-team All-ACC honors as an all-purpose threat, rushing for 966 yards and five touchdowns while catching a team-high 52 passes for 579 yards and four scores. He also scored on a 78-yard punt return. The 5-8, 175-pound Miami native was an unranked recruit coming out of high school who played two seasons at Western Carolina.
Desmond Reid can FLY ✈️
📺 ESPN2 #H2P » #WeNotMe pic.twitter.com/Mm34dfjhqW
— Pitt Football (@Pitt_FB) September 7, 2024
Barnes has led Clemson in interceptions the last two seasons, with three in 2023 and four in 2024. His 21 career starts are the most in Clemson's secondary. The Tigers need to fill the spot next to him at safety with R.J. Mickens off to the NFL, and will rely heavily on Barnes to lead.
Brown earned third-team All-ACC honors in 2023 when the Seminoles won the league title and went 13-0 overall. Last season, he led FSU with 70 tackles and was among the nation's leaders with two blocked field goals in a dreadful 2-10 season. Back for his fifth season in Tallahassee, Brown should thrive in new defensive coordinator Tony White's 3-3-5 scheme.
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With Syracuse's Oronde Gadsden II off to the NFL and Jack Endries leaving Cal for Texas, Joly is the top returning tight end in the ACC from a production standpoint. The former UConn transfer caught 43 passes for 661 yards and four touchdowns last season and should be one of the primary targets for sophomore quarterback CJ Bailey in new coordinator Kurt Roper's offense.
'Big Red' anchored Georgia Tech's offensive line, which tied for second nationally in fewest sacks allowed (six) and paved the way for a rushing attack that ranked fourth in the ACC in yards per carry (4.95). The 6-4, 310-pound senior, a former transfer from Middle Tennessee, earned first-team All-ACC honors and was a first-team All-America pick by Sports Info Solutions.
Brown is one of 16 former five-star recruits in the ACC — and one of Clemson's seven. As a freshman in 2024, he started six games and finished third on the team with 80 tackles, including 11.5 for loss and five sacks. He earned Freshman All-America honors and became the fourth Clemson player to win ACC Defensive Rookie of the Year.
Syracuse lost a lot of star power from Fran Brown's 10-3 debut as head coach. Chestnut's 35 career starts make him by far the Orange's most experienced returning player. He finished second on the team with 62 tackles and added five pass breakups, one interception and 3.5 tackles for loss.
The third-year junior from Columbus, Ohio, started nine games for the Panthers last season and produced 82 tackles, 14.5 TFLs, 5.5 sacks and one interception return for a touchdown. It earned him a spot on the All-ACC third team. He's one of six full-time starters back for veteran defensive coordinator Randy Bates, whose unit ranked fourth in the league in yards per play allowed (5.15) and second in yards per carry allowed (3.08).
Robinson is among six full-time defensive starters back for Tony Elliott, who desperately needs a big year after winning only 11 games in his first three seasons. Robinson's stellar sophomore season included 64 tackles, including six for loss and five sacks.
26. Kevin Jennings, QB, SMU
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27. Duce Robinson, WR, Florida State
28. Jimmy Scott, DE, Pittsburgh
29. PJ Williams, OT, SMU
30. Jamal Haynes, RB, Georgia Tech
31. Lewis Bond, WR, Boston College
32. Wesley Williams, DE, Duke
33. Terry Moore, S, Duke
34. RJ Maryland, TE, SMU
35. Sam Roush, TE, Stanford
(Photo of T.J. Parker: Bob Donnan / Imagn Images)
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