Most people in Blacksburg love the month of April for a variety of reasons - spring, Easter, the Hokies' spring game, and the NFL Draft. With that said, here are a few thoughts on what transpired in regards to that final event that concluded the month of April:

1. Virginia Tech continues to do an excellent job in player development. Coach Frank Beamer's team churned out a school-record nine NFL picks at the NFL Draft on April 29-30^th, including four Virginians who were not ranked among the top 25 high school players in the Commonwealth when they signed with Tech: cornerback Jimmy Williams, linebacker James Anderson, and offensive linemen Jimmy Martin and Will Montgomery. That speaks volumes of the work accomplished by Dr. Mike Gentry and his staff in Tech's strength and conditioning program, as well as the culture Beamer and his coaching staff have instilled among the players. A blueprint of hard year-round work, unselfish play, and enthusiasm not only wins football games in the fall, but also pays off handsomely on NFL draft day each spring.

    

2. The ACC set an all-time NFL record when 12 conference players were picked in the first round. That's more than any single league produced in NFL history. Think that will make any recruiting pitches this summer? That's a significant note, especially for coaches who recruit primarily against SEC schools in the southeast. The ACC's recent expansion paid off handsomely in terms of the television revenues, the bowl tie-ins, the championship game monies, etc. And the league has clearly taken its place among the best in the country.

    

3. ACC coaches aren't sandbagging when they talk about the talent they face each week. For example, Louisville's Elvis Dumervil led the nation with 20 sacks last season, was named the national defensive player of the year, and a consensus all-American. He was the Big East's defensive player of the year. But did you know there were 18 ACC defensive players drafted ahead of Dumervil? Hey, Dumervil's a good player, don't get me wrong. But he's not in the league of Mario Williams (NCSU) or Kamerion Wimbley (FSU), or Manny Lawson (NCSU), or Mathias Kiwanuka (BC), or Darryl Tapp (VT) - all defensive ends picked ahead of Elvis. In fact, I'm not sure he'd beat out Tech's Chris Ellis or Noland Burchette right now. That shows you how much talent there is, across the board, in the ACC.

    

4. Four players off Florida State's defense: tackle Broderick Bunkley, linebacker Ernie Sims, Wimbley and corner Antonio Cromartie went in the first round, perhaps creating a clearer picture of why the 'Noles gave Virginia Tech's offense such a hard time in the ACC Championship game (Note: Cromartie missed all of last season with a knee injury). You can argue that FSU underperformed in 2005. Its offensive line was decimated and it played an inexperienced quarterback, which crippled the offense. But not one player dominated the 2005 Hokies more than Bunkley did that night in Jacksonville. FSU won the game, but Bunkley might have been the biggest winner. After being left off the All-ACC team, he came out and played an amazing game against Tech and earned himself a lot of money that night.

    

5. Long-time readers know, I've always been a Big East proponent, but this year's draft was a non-event for much of the league's schools - not a single first-round pick and only 11 players overall. Amazingly, of the eight BCS schools which did not have a player drafted, four are from the Big East: Rutgers, Connecticut, South Florida, and Cincinnati. Umm, that's half the league.

    

6. Hey, ya gotta love James Anderson. The 'other' Hokie linebacker, who was seemingly always overshadowed by Vince Hall and Xavier Adibi, had a terrific senior season. He was a real team leader who scored a touchdown in his final college game, and then got drafted in the third round of the NFL Draft. Making the story even better, Anderson posted a 4.0 grade-point average during the past two semesters here at Tech. That's a strong senior year both in the classroom and on the field. Of course, you won't find a better kid than Anderson either.