PFF: Breaking Down NC State’s Top 10 Offensive & Defensive Players

ProFootballFocus broke down NC State’s highest graded offensive and defensive players for the 2017 season this week.

PFF gives their grades by grading every player on how they play on every single play

Who was NC State highest graded offensive player in 2017? Ryan Finley? Nyheim Hines? Jaylen Samuels? Kelvin Harmon?

Nope.

Junior Offensive Tackle Will Richardson. In fact, Richardson had the highest grade on the PFF All-ACC 1st Team not named Lamar Jackson. He earned 2nd Team All-American PFF honors as well. Wolfpack fans can only hope that Richardson returns for his Senior season.

Three out of the Top 5 graded offensive players are members of the Band of Brothers, the Wolfpack offensive line. Adams is a Senior, but Richardson and Jones are both Juniors.

Don’t get me wrong here. I love Nyheim Hines and Jaylen Samuels, but without the superb offensive line in front of them, they wouldn’t have the numbers they have. Someone give Offensive Line coach Dwayne Ledford a raise NOW!

Finally, even though Finley didn’t have the numbers in the second half of the season, that he did in the first, he still finished with an ELITE grade for the season. In fact, Finley finished the season with the 5th highest grade of any quarterback in the nation.

Is anyone surprised that Bradley Chubb finished with the highest grade of anyone on NC State’s defense? Of course not. Todd McShay said that Chubb was a COMPLETE football player this week, and the grades prove it. He earned an ELITE grade in Run Defense and the Pass Rush.

Ladies and gentelmen, expect Germaine Pratt to be the face of NC State’s defense in 2018. As a backup linebacker, he earned the 2nd best grade on the Wolfpack defense behind Chubb. To be in the blue, earning an ELITE grade as a backup linebacker, is astounding.

Props to Linebacker Jerod Fernandez for having the best season of his career as a Senior. Sophomore Safety Jarius Morehead showed great promise for the future, and these numbers show what we all know…BJ Hill is sneaky good, and always has been.