NC State WR Depth Chart For Troy Game

Junior Jumichael Ramos has earned the starting role as the Wolfpack’s X receiver, which typically is the Split End receiver.  Very often the X receiver is the teams’s feature receiver.  Ramos had an impressive Freshman season, with 24 receptions for 352 yards and 3 touchdowns.  Last season he took a major step backwards, and only had one reception in a meager 59 snaps (he played in 291 snaps as a Freshman).  Ramos has a new position coach in George McDonald, and has obviously made quite an impression on him.

At this point, the starting spot as the Z receiver could go to either Junior Jonathan Alston OR Junior Bra’Lon Cherry.  The Z receiver is typically the Flanker receiver, which lines up off of the line of scrimmage.  Alston had 21 receptions for 224 yards and 2 touchdowns last season.  Cherry had 27 receptions for 354 yards and 3 touchdowns.

True Freshman Nyheim Hines has earned the starting spot as the F receiver, which typically is the Slot Receiver.  Hines is an extreme athlete that has been the most talked about playmaking receiver on the team by Dave Doeren all camp long.  He primarily played as a running back for Garner High School last year (2,362 rushing yards and 38 touchdowns), but he did have 328 yards receiving and 3 touchdown receptions as well.

RS Freshman Maurice Trowell was a 3-star prospect out of Southern Durham High School.  Trowell has also been in the rotation as a kick returner with Hines, Cherry and running back Matt Dayes. He caught 93 passes for 1,760 yards and 19 touchdowns as a Senior.  Trowell is backing up Ramos.

Either RS Freshman Elliott Davis OR Freshman Vernon Grier could be backing up Cherry or Alston at the Z receiver slot when the Wolfpack takes the field against Troy.  Davis was a 3-star prospect that was recruited to play cornerback at NC State, and redshirted last season as a cornerback.  This offseason the NC State coaches decided to move Davis to the other side of the ball.  This isn’t unfamiliar territory for Davis, because he played corner and wideout at Quince Orchard High School (Gathersburg, MD).  Grier was a 3-star prospect out of the prestigious Mallard Creek High School in Charlotte, NC.  He tallied 64 receptions for 1,158 yards and 16 touchdowns as a Senior last year.

RS Sophomore Gavin Locklear was in mix to be in the rotation of receivers last year as a walk-on before suffering a compound fracture in his leg during Summer workouts.  He is back to full strength and has worked his way back into the rotation as Hines’ backup.  Locklear was surprised with a scholarship earlier this month.

True Freshman Freddie Simmons is the 3rd string X receiver.  Simmons was a 3-star prospect that had 49 catches for 707 yards and 13 touchdowns for Bethlehem Catholic last year (Bethlehem, PA).

RS Sophomore Ben Grazen is the 3rd string slot receiver and was awarded a scholarship this month as well.  Grazen was a Safety and Running Back at Cardinal Gibbons High School (Cary, NC), but the coaches moved him to Wide Receiver in Spring drills.