The Pragmatic Poke: All ACC Team - Fantasy Football Style

I grew up watching ACC football. It was never a major conference until the recent years have brought about Clemson's college football dominance. Be that as it may, I saw several players come and go, following them into their NFL careers. Some, I even drafted in Fantasy Football coming straight out of college, those like C.J. Spiller, Eric Ebron, Giovani Bernard, and David Wilson. It was fun to think back and compile this list, so it's here for anyone else with a hankering for the glory days of the ACC. The list is made in the typical format of a Fantasy Football team - QB, RB, RB, WR, WR, TE, FLEX (RB, WR, or TE), DEF, and K, then a bench of six more players.

QB - Lamar Jackson (Louisville, 2015-2017) - Baltimore Ravens

Even though I hate to recognize Louisville as an ACC school (added over time because, you know, money), it's hard to deny that Lamar Jackson was the man at the college level, and at the pro level as well once he finally got his shot. As long as he can stay healthy and prolong his career, he'll go down as one of the best in NFL history, and the best Louisville football player to put on the Cardinals uniform.

RB - Dalvin Cook (Florida State, 2014-2016) - Minnesota Vikings

Cook was a do-everything guy at Florida State, taking 30-plus touches a game and catching dump-down passes out of the backfield. He was an absolute nightmare for opposing defenses, and has shown flashes of the same dominance at the pro level with the Vikings. He's bulky, but he's a smaller guy, which sees to more injuries than he'd like to have. Based on his college performance and his young career thus far, he's a no-brainer as a starter on this list.

RB - Giovani Bernard (North Carolina, 2011-2012) - Cincinnati Bengals

Gio is the best running back to come out of North Carolina in my lifetime. Like Dalvin Cook, the offense revolved around Bernard, taking tons of carries out of the backfield and catching short passes for short and long gains. He was so good with the Heels that he only stayed two short years before taking his talents to the NFL, becoming the Bengals' second-round selection in the 2012 draft. His size always kept him from being the one guy Cincy needed, so he's now in more of a complimentary role beside elusive bruiser Joe Mixon.

WR - Calvin Johnson (Georgia Tech, 2004-2006) - Detroit Lions (retired)

Calvin played for Georgia Tech back when the Yellow Jackets still threw the football, before they switched to a Paul Brown-led Pistol offense. Watching him in college, I knew he'd be a fantastic pro. He was big and he had pine tar on his hands, catching everything thrown his way. I knew he'd be good, but I never knew he'd shift into Megatron levels.

WR - DeAndre Hopkins (Clemson, 2010-2012) - Houston Texans, Arizona Cardinals

DeAndre "Nuke" Hopkins is the best receiver I've ever seen suit up in a Clemson Tigers uni. He and Sammy Watkins, who came in a year after, were the most dominant duo I'd seen at the WR spot, two lovely targets for quarterback Tajh Boyd. At this point in his career, Hopkins is doing Calvin Johnson-type things for the Texans, no matter the quarterback, which made it such a head-scatcher that Houston traded him for Arizona's injury-prone, three-down running back David Johnson.

TE - Eric Ebron (North Carolina, 2011-2013) - Detroit Lions, Indianapolis Colts, Pittsburgh Steelers

At North Carolina, especially in his last year, Ebron caught about 90 percent of all UNC passes. He basically was the team, the only true pass-catcher the Tar Heels had. And for a couple of years, he had Mitchell Trubisky throwing to him. Little did they know, both would become legit first-rounders in the NFL draft, though Ebron was vastly underutilized in Detroit. It probably didn't help that he had a lot of in-game drops. Fast-forward a couple of years and he's a star pass-catching tight end in Indy. Now he's with the Steelers.

FLEX - Duke Johnson (Miami, 2012-2014) - Cleveland Browns, Houston Texans

Duke was fun to watch at the U, a small, quick, beefy back who could catch and run - the exact role he was given with the Cleveland Browns once drafted. Anywhere else, he might have been a lead guy, but he ended up being as a third-down back behind Isaiah Crowell. Once he shipped off to the Texans, he was already type-cast, and now Houston has reached for David Johnson, relegating Duke once again.

DEF - Clemson (2019)

Key Players:
DE - Clelin Ferrell
DE - Austin Bryant
DT - Christian Wilkins
DT - Dexter Lawrence
CB - Trayvon Mullen

K - Roberto Agauyo (Florida State, 2012-2014) - Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Chicago Bears, Carolina Panthers, Los Angeles Chargers

Aguayo was actually drafted as a kicker, and after a great college career at Florida State, he really cracked under the pressure of life in the NFL. He's now a journeyman stuck on a revolving door of new suitors.

BENCH:
QB - Deshaun Watson (Clemson, 2014-2016) - Houston Texans

Watson was dominant at Clemson. I could probably spout that adjective to just about any player on this list, but none was any more so than he. He killed defenses with his arm and his legs, and was a hot commodity coming out of college as a result.

RB - Devonta Freeman (Florida State, 2011-2013) - Atlanta Falcons (cut)

Freeman had a sort of little man complex, especially at the next level. I don't mean that in a bad way. He's not an overly-big guy, but man, does he sure run like one. His bull in a china shop running style has kept him injured for a large chunk of his NFL career, seeing him cut from the Falcons in the off-season. He was great at FSU though.

RB - David Wilson (Virginia Tech, 2009-2011) - New York Giants (retired)

David Wilson was a really exciting player at Virginia Tech. He and quarterback Logan Thomas ran all over the opposite. Wilson was wiry, spry, and could fit through impossible holes to scorch the defense with next-level speed. I followed his career into the NFL, excited that he'd landed with the Giants. He was the only player I'd ever seen to cut a complete back flip after scoring a rushing touchdown. He soon suffered a career-ending neck stinger, stifling what would have been an exciting tenure in the pros.

RB - C.J. Spiller (Clemson, 2006-2009) - Buffalo Bills, Seattle Seahawks, New Orleans Saints, Kansas City Chiefs

Spiller was an electric player at Clemson, utilized like most of the other running backs on this list. He found minor success in Buffalo, and was a one-two punch alongside bruiser Fred Jackson. Life beyond the Bills has been shadowy and inconsistent, an upsetting ending for a player with so much excitement coming out of college.

WR - Sammy Watkins (Clemson, 2011-2013) - Buffalo Bills, Los Angeles Rams, Kansas City Chiefs

Watkins was great in college, with sticky hands and lightning rod speed. He was Robin to DeAndre Hopkins' Batman, a double threat that helped catapult the Tigers to their now dominant status in college football.

TE - Nick O'Leary (Florida State, 2011-2014) - Buffalo Bills, Miami Dolphins, Jacksonville Jaguars, Las Vegas Raiders

Nick O'Leary looks and sounds more like an Irish-American enforcer or a dockside labor union tough than a football player. His play in the NFL has been spotty at best, but at FSU, he was Jameis Winston's go-to guy, a bruiser of the tight end who refused to wear any receiving gloves. He's about as old school bruiser as it gets.

HONORABLE MENTION:

QB - Matt Ryan (Boston College, 2004-2007) - Atlanta Falcons