The American Athletic Conference, or AAC, doesn’t have a particularly long history. It was born out of the collapsing Big East, which poached top-tier C-USA teams like Houston and UCF. Those new teams began competing in the AAC in 2013, making the 2014 NFL Draft the first one where the new conference was represented. There, it was represented well, as it has been ever since.
Now, the conference is going through another round of realignment. Once again, top teams are moving on to greener pastures, while conference commissioner Mike Aresco is dipping into C-USA again. Before that change happens though, the AAC is bound to add at least one more first round draft pick, as Ahmad ‘Sauce’ Gardner is arguably the best corner in the 2022 NFL Draft.