Connect with us

T.J. Williams (2002-05) was one of the best Tight Ends to every play football at NC State.  In fact, you could easily make an argument that he was the best.  In his career, he ranks 1st in NC State history for Tight Ends in receiving  yards (1,916) and 2nd in receptions (98).  He actually led NC State in receptions in 2004 & 2005, and even led the team in receiving yards in 2004.  In 2005 Williams was named 2nd Team All-ACC.  Williams played his first two years with another NC State legend Philip Rivers, and his final two seasons with Jay Davis.  I mean no disrespect to Davis, but it makes you wonder how much greater those numbers could have even been with a different quarterback throwing him the ball for those final two years.

After his Senior season, Williams was drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the 6th round of the 2006 NFL draft, which was a dream come true, but that dream unfortunately proved to be a short dream.

“I was drafted by the Bucs coming out of college.  Everything was going well.  I was looking to get a lot of playing time in training camp,” said Williams. “I was performing well.  Then the next thing you know, my achilles started acting up.  I think I had to sit out 3-4 days of OTA’s at, and then on the last day of mini-camp, during the seventh segment of practice, I tore my achilles.”

The injury ultimately led to the end of his NFL career, which ended before it ever really began. Williams has tried to use that experience, and ultimately his experience as a football player to help shape the rest of his life.

“Ever since then life has been a roller coaster.  Life is kind of like football,” said Williams.  “You have a bad play, you dust yourself off and get up and play the next play.  That’s still how I deal with life. You have to get up. And move on. And make things happen.”

Williams currently works up in Chicago in the mortgage banking industry.

 “I currently work as a mortgage banker, and I love the banking industry, but it can be stressful at times, so I plan on getting back into something I’m more familiar with,” said Williams.  “Something involving sports or football.”

He makes it back every year to at least one game at Carter-Finley, and the past three seasons he’s been able to make it back to two games.  Williams says that playing in Carter-Finley was an experience he will never forget, and that his friends are jealous of.

 

“A lot of people don’t get to experience anything like playing at Carter-Finley.  The excitement you feel when you come through that tunnel,” said Williams.  “Coming through that smoke and seeing all those fans out there was amazing.  I have some friends that are NC State fans and they always say that they would pay a lot of money to run out of that tunnel on game day.”

 

Matthew is Co-Owner of Pack Insider. He writes for all sports, with a focus on football and recruiting, and is in charge of business strategy. He is an NC State alum who majored in business. Matthew is also the lead pastor of The Point Church in Cary, NC.

Click to comment
Subscribe
Notify of
0 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments

Pack in the Pros

Former NC State All-American SS Trea Turner Named NL Player of the Week

Published

on

Former NC State All-American Shortstop Trea Turner was named the National League Player of the Week last week.

  • The 30-year-old hit .462 (12-for-26) with a home run, four RBI, five doubles, a walk, 10 runs scored, a stolen base and a .481 on-base percentage in six games last week.
  • The Florida native led the Majors in runs scored; tied for the NL lead in doubles and extra-base hits (6); ranked third in slugging (.769), OPS (1.250) and hits (12); and ranked fourth in total bases (20).
  • The two-time All-Star recorded four straight multi-hit games from Tuesday through Saturday, putting together three-hit games on Wednesday against Colorado and Thursday against Chicago (AL). It was the third time in his Phillies’ tenure and eighth time in his career that he had at least four-straight multi-hit games.
  • The 2019 World Series Champion has hits in 10 straight games since April 11th, batting .429 (18-for-42) with two homers, six RBI, six doubles, two walks, 12 runs scored, a stolen base and a 1.169 OPS during the stretch. He has reached in each of his last 13 games since April 8th, batting .434/.483/.660 over the stretch.
  • The North Carolina State product stole home on Sunday against the White Sox, marking his 40th consecutive stolen base since September 6, 2022 when he was a member of the Dodgers. His current streak surpassed Jimmy Rollins for the fourth-longest all-time and is now tied with Hall of Famer Tim Raines for the third-longest streak in Major League history. Next on the list is Ichiro Suzuki, who swiped 45 straight bases from April 29, 2006 through May 16, 2007, and Vince Coleman, who stole a Major League record 50 straight bases from September 18, 1988 through July 26, 1989. (MLB)

Turner was a 2-time All-American at NC State. In 2012, Turner was named 3rd Team All-American by NCBWA, and in 2013 he was named 2nd Team by Collegiate Baseball, and 3rd Team by NCBWA and Baseball America.

Turner’s 113 career stolen bases at NC State are the most in school history.

Turner was drafted by the San Diego Padres in the 1st Round with the 13th overall pick in the 2014 MLB Draft.

Continue Reading

Pack in the Pros

NC State’s Payton Wilson & Dylan McMahon’s 2024 Draft Projections

Published

on

The 2024 NFL Draft is 1 day away. Where does NC State Linebacker Payton Wilson and Center Dylan McMahon project to be drafted?

PFF

Payton Wilson – 1st Round – 29th Overall Pick – Indianapolis Colts

It’s a cliché to go “best athlete available” for the Colts, but Payton Wilson certainly ticked that box at the NFL scouting combine. Wilson was exceptional in his final season at NC State, earning grades above 75.0 in all three facets of defense, led by his 90.0 coverage grade with three interceptions and four forced incompletions.

Dylan McMahon – 6th Round – 214th Overall Pick – Cincinnati Bengals

Sporting News

Payton Wilson – 2nd Round – 38th Overall Pick – Tennessee Titans

Dylan McMahon – 5th Round – 175th Overall Pick – New Orleans Saints

Walter Football

Payton Wilson – 2nd Round – 42nd Overall Pick – Houston Texans

CBS Sports

Payton Wilson – 2nd Round – 43rd Overall Pick – Atlanta Falcons

Dylan McMahon – 6th Round – 182nd Overall Pick – Tennessee Titans

The Athletic 

Payton Wilson – 2nd Round – 56th Overall Pick – Dallas Cowboys

Dylan McMahon – 7th Round – 232nd Overall Pick – Minnesota Vikings

Fantasy Pros

Payton Wilson – 3rd Round – 66th Overall Pick – Arizona Cardinals

Dylan McMahon – 7th Round – 55th Overall Pick – Green Bay Packers

NFL.com

Payton Wilson – 3rd Round – 80th Overall Pick – Cincinnati Bengals

Dylan McMahon – 4th Round – 112th Overall Pick – Carolina Panthers

ESPN

Payton Wilson – 3rd Round – 81st Overall Pick – Seattle Seahawks

Wilson has an early-round grade based strictly on his game tape, but durability concerns could drop him to this range — or even later. He had 130 tackles, six sacks and three interceptions last season.

Dylan McMahon – 7th Round – 247th Overall Pick – Houston Texans

Pro Football Network

Payton Wilson – 3rd Round – 83rd Overall Pick – Los Angeles Rams

Dylan McMahon – 6th Round – 205th Overall Pick – Detroit Lions

Continue Reading

Pack in the Pros

Former NC State G Terquavion Smith Earns a Spot on the 2023-23 NBA G-League All-Rookie Team

Published

on

Former NC State Guard Terquavion Smith earned a spot on the 2023-24 NBA G-League All-Rookie Team.

Smith averaged 22.3 points, 3.4 assists and 3 rebounds per game for the Delaware Blue Coats. What’s crazy, is that he only started in 3 of the 36 games he played in. With that being said, he averaged 30.7 minutes per game. Smith shot 35.6% from three.

As a 2-way player, Smith also played 16 games for the Philadelphia 76ers, averaging 3.3 points in 5.3 minutes per game. He shot 37.1% from three.

Continue Reading

Pack in the Pros

NC State LB Payton Wilson Visited with the Steelers Yesterday

Published

on

Former NC State Linebacker Payton Wilson had a Top-30 visit with the Pittsburgh Steelers yesterday. Wilson is the first Linebacker the Steelers have brought in.

Wilson has already had Top-30 visits with the Dallas Cowboys and the Carolina Panthers.

PFF ranks Wilson as the #1 Linebacker in the 2024 Draft, and #26 on their Big Board.

1. LB PAYTON WILSONNC STATE

PFF BIG BOARD RANK: 26

Wilson has the length, movement ability, IQ and tape of a first-round linebacker. What will likely keep him from being drafted on Day 1 is his injury history and age. If healthy, he can be a starting inside linebacker in any defense. (PFF)

Will someone take Wilson in the 1st round? Will he be a 2nd round pick? If he slips past that, that’s just stupid.

 

 

Continue Reading