Gridiron Heroics partners with Draft Scout to give each school’s Top 5 NFL Draft prospects in the ACC. Welcome to a list of the Wake Forest Top 5 NFL Draft prospects, as seen by Draft Scout.
Each week brings us closer and closer to one of the most anticipated days on the sports calendar — the NFL Draft. This year’s draft will be held in Kansas City, Mo. from April 27-29. Starting today? We take a look at the ACCzzzzzzz seniors, the class of 2023. Since we don’t know yet which underclassmen will declare? We’ll reconfigure the rankings when that happens, so be sure to revisit us.
Our ACC Draft prospect series will run beginning Nov. 7 and will run for the next week, with three schools running per day in alphabetical order. A master conference list of the ACC’s Top 20 NFL draft prospects will wrap things up on Monday, Nov. 14. Please check the team links below frequently so you can check out the other schools’ top prospects as the week progresses.
ACC TOP 20 PROSPECTS: Overall ACC Top Prospect List
ACC ATLANTIC PROSPECTS: Boston College | Clemson | Florida State | Louisville | N.C. State | Syracuse | Wake Forest
ACC COASTAL PROSPECTS: Duke | Georgia Tech | Miami | North Carolina | Pittsburgh | Virginia | Virginia Tech
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So, we all know that not every team in the country has five surefire draft picks on it. Some programs do, especially in some of the more elite conferences, but the vast majority don’t have that many top-flight prospects. But, we also know that the definition “top-flight” doesn’t always pan out, and at the same time that strong undrafted free agent everybody forgot? He ends up making an NFL and flourishing.
Look at the Louisville Top 5 NFL Draft Prospects here.
Kobie Turner, Defensive Tackle, High Priority Free Agent
This man stands 6’3, 290 and his nickname is “The Conductor.” Once you see his pictures–bright smile, animated personality, you will see why he got that name. He is a transfer from Richmond where he played in 37 games, making 27 starts. He finished with 158 tackles, 33.5 tackles for loss and 15 sacks. Pro Football Focus rated him #1 in their Top 5 ranking of Power 5 defenders. He was named to the CoSIDA (now College Sports Communicators) Academic All District 1st team in 2021 so he can digest any playbook and melt his skill set into a gameplan. Read his player bio here.
Sean Maginn, Offensive Guard, High Priority Free Agent
This player was the only Freshman to see playing time on the offensive line and has been a perennial starter his entire collegiate career. He is durable, playing 1,186 snaps in 2021. He has played 34 games and logged in time as a guard and center. This checks off any draft board to have free agents that can come in and play multiple positions.
Wake Forest Demon Deacons linebacker Ryan Smenda Jr. (45) celebrates the sack in the fourth quarter of the NCAA matchup at BB&T Field in Winston-Salem, NC
NCAA Football: Utah State at Wake Forest, Winston-Salem, USA – 30 Aug 2019
Ryan Smenda, Jr., Inside Linebacker, Priority Free Agent
The son of ex-military parents, Smenda is multi-talented, winning 49 matches and three state titles in High school. He is the all-time leader in total tackles at Wake Forest and is a tackling machine. He has logged double-digit tackles many times in his college career. The last was in 2021 when he had 2 games of 10-plus tackles. He faced adversity during the 2021 Gator Bowl where he was called for a targeting penalty and suspended for one game this season. He showed character by appealing the decision but understanding the final result. Read an article on this event from the Last Word on Sports website here. Any NFL team would bolster their locker room by signing this young man.
Dion Bergan, Jr., Defensive Tackle, Free Agent
A Florida native like Ryan Smenda, from Osceola High school. Bergan Jr. stands 6’1 and 294 pounds. In 2021, he played in 14 games and logged 25 tackles and 5 tackles for loss. Another durable player, as a freshman in 2018, he played 222 snaps, then 467 snaps in 2019. He is majoring in Sociology at Wake Forest. Read more in his player bio here.
Jaeger Bull, Tight End, Free Agent
A player with perhaps the coolest name among all the NFL draft prospects highlighted. With the word “Bull” on the back of his jersey, he gains a mental advantage over the opposition. He comes out of the “Mike Gesicki/Antonio Gates/Tony Gonzalez-mold” for a Tight end. He is a converted QB and achieved accolades in High school as a power forward in basketball. He transferred to Wake Forest for his final year of eligibility after spending the majority of his career at Rice University. A highlight for him was that he caught 2 TDs versus UAB last season and that dealt the Conference USA Champions their only loss of the year.
