ACC Spotlight: Top NFL Draft picks since 2013

Mark Pszonak contributed to this report.

The NFL Draft is a couple of weeks away so we thought it would be interesting to see the highest-drafted prospects by each Power Five conference taken in the last five years (since 2013). Below is the ACC.

MORE NFL DRAFT: SEC draft history | Big Ten draft history | Farrell's Mock Draft | QB busts | Five programs that'll make the biggest buzz | Five potential steals in the draft | Five potential first-round busts | Stock rising | Stock falling

CLASS OF 2019 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | State | Position | Team

The skinny: Winston committed to Florida State in August, but then took official visits to Alabama, LSU and Stanford before reaffirming his commitment after an official visit to Tallahassee. Winston turned in a remarkable 2013 season that resulted in the Heisman Trophy and helped lead Florida State to the national championship. Declaring for the NFL Draft after the 2014 season, he was selected with the first overall pick by Tampa Bay. With the Bucs he enjoyed two productive seasons, but then with more expected in 2017 the level of productivity was somewhat disappointing. Many are interested to see how he rebounds this fall.

Farrell’s Take: Coming out of high school, Winston was a skinnier version of what you saw at Florida State and now in the NFL. Many felt he was simply a dual-threat guy, but in camp settings he was on point with his footwork, his balance and weight shift to his release point. He was a pure passer, plain and simple. It’s still amazing to me that some didn’t have him as a five-star prospect. It’s no surprise he was a No. 1 NFL pick. However, he has some development to do as a pro to become the star he was in college.

The skinny: Trubisky committed to the Tar Heels during the spring over offers from Tennessee, Michigan State, Cincinnati, Minnesota and Northwestern. At UNC, Trubisky patiently waited for Marquise Williams to graduate so that he could take control of the offense. He responded by putting up huge numbers in his only season as a starter before declaring for the NFL Draft, where he was selected with the second overall pick by Chicago. As a rookie last fall Trubisky experienced some growing pains while passing for 2,193 yards and seven touchdowns in 12 games.

Farrell’s Take: From three-star stat stuffer to the No. 2 pick in the draft, Trubisky certainly did much better than we expected, albeit in only one year as a starter in college. We could look back and see this as one of the biggest reaches in recent NFL Draft history but looking back at his high school career and numbers, you have to think we under-ranked him, and he has shown some signs of life in his rookie year.

The skinny: Watkins trimmed his list down to Clemson, Miami and Michigan before a couple of additional visits to Death Valley put the Tigers over the top. He burst onto the national scene in 2011 and continued to dominate collegiate opponents during his three seasons. After forgoing his senior season, he was selected with the fourth overall pick in 2014 by Buffalo, where he set single-season rookie receiving records. Another big season followed in 2015 before a dip in production led to his trade to the Los Angeles Rams prior to the 2017 season, during which he only had 39 receptions for 593 yards.

Farrell’s Take: Watkins was an absolute star in high school and college, and is emerging as a star in the NFL. One of the most gifted pass catchers I’ve seen, his body control was off the charts and he worked the sidelines and corner of the end zone so well. Watkins was a deep threat, but also very good at moving the chains and he was one of the biggest commits in Clemson history, stealing him out of South Florida.

The skinny: Ramsey initially committed to USC, but still kept his process pretty open. He ended up taking official visits to Florida State, Florida, Washington and Mississippi State before rumors of a possible flip to the Seminoles or Gators began to surface. Finally, on signing day, he made it official by signing with Florida State, despite never actually decommitting from USC. After three memorable seasons in Tallahassee he entered the 2016 NFL Draft, where he was selected with the fifth overall pick by Jacksonville. During his two seasons with the Jaguars, Ramsey has already established himself as one of the top cornerbacks in the league

Farrell’s Take: Talk about a home run ranking and a prospect who lived up to everything we expected of him. Ramsey was a big, athletic cornerback who could do so many things on defense and special teams. We expected him to be a star, and he will likely end up being the best NFL player on this list. Ramsey had a cockiness about him that I loved, although he has taken that to a bit of an extreme at the NFL level. Ramsey always wanted to be on an island against the best and he liked to tackle. I will always take that from a defensive back.

The skinny: Cooper trimmed his list down to North Carolina and South Carolina before committing to the Tar Heels in late January. After redshirting during his freshman season, Cooper entrenched himself as a starter at guard for the remainder of his collegiate career. An All-American season in 2012 propelled him to be selected seventh overall by Arizona in 2013, and he struggled to make an impact before being traded to New England prior to the 2016 season. However, an injury slowed his progress and he was released in October before ever playing a snap. Since then, he has played with both Cleveland and Dallas before being signed by San Francisco in March to a one-year deal.

Farrell’s Take: We had Cooper as a high three-star, so we liked him to an extent. But if you told me he’d be a top 10 NFL Draft pick I would have said you were crazy. He was too sawed off with too much of a guard body for such a lofty draft spot, but the Cardinals reached and paid the price. He’s been a bust and I don’t see that changing at all.

The skinny: Williams committed to Clemson over South Carolina in the days leading up to his senior season, while Alabama, Georgia, Notre Dame and Tennessee were also involved. After missing a majority of the 2015 season, Williams had a huge 2016 season with 98 receptions for 1,361 yards and 11 touchdowns. Selected seventh overall by the Los Angeles Chargers last spring, injuries derailed a majority of his rookie season. Totaling only 11 receptions for 95 yards in 2017, Williams will be eager to get back onto the field this fall.

Farrell’s Take: Williams was always a big kid coming out of high school with a lot of potential, but he was also very raw. He obviously ironed out a lot of things at Clemson, overcame a scary injury and emerged as one of the elite big receivers in the draft. Injuries continue to be a question mark for him, but he’s a talent when he’s healthy.