Shock Jocks
Posted April 30, 2006, 9:16 AM ET

As lame duck NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue strolled to the podium and proclaimed, "With the first pick of the 2006 NFL Draft, the Houston Texans select Mario Williams from North Carolina State..."

It didn't take long for the NFL Draft to send shock waves through every football executive, fan and announcer in America. One second into the selection process, and Mel Kiper, Jr. was already wrong (read more in the "Say What?" journal entry).

The first day of the NFL Draft produced some amazing picks and some startling numbers.

The Texans' decision to pick Williams over all-world Reggie Bush will be debated for years. Only time will tell if it is the smart pick, but on the surface, nobody seems to agree with the choice...unless you are a member of the Mario Williams posse and fan club.

For Mario, he becomes the first ACC player ever selected as the top pick in the NFL Draft. It is a great accomplishment for him regardless of where Mel Kiper, Jr. has him on his "board".

The Texans' decision had an immediate impact on the Carolina Panthers, too. It allowed Reggie Bush to slip to New Orleans, and that means the Panthers get to see and deal with him twice a season. I'm sure John Fox is excited at the prospects of trying to tackle Bush and Michael Vick four times each year.

But back to Mario Williams. He is a part of a bigger story surrounding the first round of the Draft. Williams and two of his NC State defensive teammates were also selected in the first round. That's pretty strong even for the likes of fellow ACC superpowers Florida State and Miami.

While the Pack's Chuck Amato should beat his colossal chest for recruiting and developing that kind of talent in Raleigh, it also begs the question...How can you go 11-11 the last two regular seasons with a Muffler Bowl title to boot with that kind of talent? What is a scarier thought is that N.C. State is 6-10 in the ACC the past two years with all those NFL studs on the defensive line.

Speaking of the ACC, it was pretty apparent in the first round of the Draft that the conference had some great talent. In fact, the ACC was easily the dominant league in producing big-time players. Of the 32 first round selections, 12 were from ACC schools. The Big Ten was next with eight, thanks to the Buckeyes who produced 5 players by themselves. The mighty SEC only had four first round players. After the end of day one of the NFL Draft, the ACC produced 25 players...the SEC 14, and the Big Ten 16 guys respectively.

That might answer the question about why Amato and the Wolfpack are 6-10 the last two years in league play....there are some pretty good players lining up on any given Saturday in the ACC. The conference is still a far cry from the atmospheres and traditions that exist in the SEC, but the league is making strides.

The ACC will have to produce that kind of talent on a consistent basis to be talked about with the likes of the SEC and Big Ten year-in and year-out. That's what the big-time programs and leagues do every year. It should be noted that last year the SEC produced 37 total selections to lead all conferences...the ACC had 36. I'm writing this journal entry before the completion of the second day, so I don't have the final numbers, but it is safe to assume that the ACC has already made its mark on the 2006 draft long before the selection of Mr. Irrelevant.

And now that the NFL Draft is over...all we can do is wait and count down the days to the NFL training camps opening in July, and for the college players to report in August.

Uggghhhhh.