The last thing the ACC needs right now in football, a sport that hasn't yet come close to the high hopes generated by the league's 2004-05 expansion, is a mass exodus of its most talented and productive players.

But that's exactly what's happening.

It doesn't make sense that the downtrodden ACC, which has been out of the national championship picture on the gridiron since 2000 and just posted a BCS-worst 2-6 bowl record, would produce a large number of early entries for the NFL draft.

But that's exactly what's happening.

Nationally, more than 20 college underclassmen already have announced that they will enter this year's NFL draft. Eight ACC players are on the list, and more are expected to follow before the Jan. 15 early entry deadline.

The eight ACC underclassmen who recently announced their departures all earned all-conference honors this season: Clemson running back James Davis, Florida State linebacker Geno Hayes, Maryland linebacker Erin Henderson, Miami defensive end Calais Campbell, Miami safety Kenny Phillips, N.C. State safety DaJuan Morgan, Virginia guard Branden Albert and Virginia Tech cornerback Brandon Flowers.

Seven of the eight players — all but Albert — petitioned an NFL advisory committee in December for an estimate of their likely draft position. Phillips was projected to be chosen in the first round. Most of the others (see below) were projected to go on the first day of the April 26-27 draft, meaning somewhere in the top three rounds.

The ACC placed only three teams — Virginia Tech, Boston College and Clemson — in this year's final Top 25 poll. The Hokies and Eagles lost a large number of outstanding seniors from their 2007 squads.

The Tigers, who initially hoped to have as many as 18 starters back next season, were expected to join the Hokies as preseason favorites in 2008. But that was before the NFL decisions of Davis and Flowers, and before the pending decisions of fellow star juniors Victor Harris and Phillip Merling.

Among the top ACC players who exhausted their eligibility as seniors this past season were Virginia defensive end Chris Long, Boston College quarterback Matt Ryan, Virginia Tech defensive end Chris Ellis, Virginia Tech linebacker Vince Hall, Virginia Tech linebacker Xavier Adibi, Virginia Tech receiver Eddie Royal, Boston College offensive tackle Gosder Cherilus, Boston College safety Jamie Silva, Georgia Tech punter Durant Brooks, Georgia Tech running back Tashard Choice, Wake Forest wide receiver Kenny Moore, Wake Forest center Steve Justice and Clemson offensive tackle Barry Richardson. Long and Ryan are expected to be high first-round draft picks in April.

That alone is an enormous talent drain from a mediocre conference, but losing seniors always has been a fundamental part of college athletics.

The additional losses of eight or more elite underclassmen from the ACC's football talent pool will make significant improvement that much more difficult.

ACC Early NFL Entrant — NFL Projection

Miami safety Kenny Phillips — first round
Miami defensive end Calais Campbell — second round
Virginia Tech cornerback Brandon Flowers — second round
Clemson defensive end Phillip Merling — second round
Virginia guard Branden Albert — third round (estimated)
Clemson running back James Davis — third round
Florida State linebacker Geno Hayes — third round
Maryland linebacker Erin Henderson — third round
N.C. State safety DaJuan Morgan — fourth round
Florida State defensive tackle Letroy Guion — unknown
Virginia Tech running back Branden Ore — unknown
Florida State quarterback Xavier Lee — unknown

Note: List updated after original post.