For the first time since 1993, Virginia Tech did not have a player selected in the NFL Draft this past spring.  A total of 21 former Virginia Tech players are currently in the NFL, including rookie free agents, and Trey Edmunds, who finished his career at Maryland.  Some of those are good bets to be released before the regular season begins in September.

It’s no secret that Virginia Tech’s overall talent level dropped off in the last few years, and that shows up in the school’s NFL numbers.  However, the Hokies are still doing something they have always been known to do.  The coaches appear to be getting the most out of their talent, at least when it comes to the number of NFL players on the team.

The following table is sorted by number of NFL players per ACC program, but you can also sort it on wins over the last five seasons, wins per current NFL player, and average recruiting class ranking.  Take a good look at the table for a few minutes, assemble your thoughts, and then keep reading.

Team	NFL Players	Wins Last 5 Years	Wins per NFL Player	Avg. Recruiting Ranking
Miami	57	40	0.701	20.2
FSU	45	45	1.00	7.6
Clemson	42	65	1.55	9.8
Pitt	34	34	1.00	43.6
NC State	29	40	1.379	38.6
UNC	27	30	1.111	26.8
Louisville	26	36	1.385	41.2
UVA	26	25	0.961	54
BC	24	31	1.292	64.8
VT	21	39	1.857	29.6
Duke	14	36	2.57	50.6
Wake	14	28	2.00	61.2
Syracuse	13	25	1.923	58
GT	11	35	3.181	48.6

This article isn’t going to attempt to prove any specific point.  I think it’s safe to say that you need to sign top 10 classes to win a National Championship.  After that, I think it’s more about evaluation, development, recruiting to a system, team chemistry, roster management, and staying healthy.  We see programs like Florida State sign top 10 classes each year, and still manage to go 5-7.  We see Wisconsin and Michigan State, who don’t exactly light it up on Signing Day, winning 10 games on a regular basis.  You can look at recruiting rankings and come up with just about any argument and find an example to fit your argument.  I think the only one that is 100% foolproof is that you need to sign top 10 classes consistently (or top 15 at the very least) to have a chance to win the National Championship.

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