ACC in the NFL: 2017 All-ACC NFL All-Star Team

CHARLOTTE, NC - NOVEMBER 05: Julius Peppers
CHARLOTTE, NC - NOVEMBER 05: Julius Peppers
2 of 8

Backfield

It isn’t that Matt Ryan couldn’t have taken this spot again. He was top 10 in passing yards and led his team to the playoffs for a second consecutive season. No, it was that Philip Rivers was just that good this season.

Though his team missed the playoffs due to a tie-breaker, it was not because of Rivers’ play. Rivers was second in the league in passing yards (just 62 behind Tom Brady) and tied for fifth in touchdowns.

Rivers was selected to a second consecutive Pro Bowl this season (seventh in his career) but was not able to play due to injury.


Welcome back LeSean McCoy. McCoy returns for the second consecutive season after finishing fourth in the league in rushing yards with 1,138 yards. This is McCoy’s second straight season rushing for over a 1,000 yards and sixth of his career.

McCoy also had six touchdowns to help lead the Buffalo Bills to the playoffs for the first time since 1999, ending the longest playoff drought in professional sports. Despite gaining 119 yards of offense, the Bills fell to the Jacksonville Jaguars 10-3 in the wild card round.

McCoy also made the Pro Bowl for the fifth consecutive season and his sixth overall.


Pittsburgh may want to petition for the name running back U, as both of this year’s backs played for the Panthers. Dion Lewis joins this group as a part of the AFC Champion Patriots.

Lewis finished 14th in the league in rushing yards with 896 with six touchdowns and continued to be a weapon in the passing game catching 32 passes for 214 yards and three more scores. He also had 23 kickoff returns for 570 yards and another touchdown.

Though he didn’t make the Pro Bowl, PFF acknowledged his contributions placing him on their All-Pro second team.