NC State Football
Nyheim Hines is on the verge of 1 of the Best Seasons at NC State
If NC State running back Nyheim Hines has an explosive performance against Arizona St. in the Sun Bowl, he will finish with one of the best seasons in school history at the position.
Arizona St. isn’t exactly solid at stopping the run. They give up 179 yards on the ground per game, which ranks 79th nationally.
Hines has averaged 87 yards rushing per game in 2017, and if he simply reproduces his season average, he will finish with 1,127 yards rushing. That would be good for the 8th most rushing yards in a season at NC State.
He averaged 104 yards on the ground in conference play this year. If he matched that against he Sun Devils, he would finish with 1,144 yards rushing, which would be good for 7th place in school history.
Hines rushed for 196 yards against UNC in his last game. UNC ranks 112th in rush defense, giving up an average of 218.5.
I’m not saying that Hines will match his performance against UNC, but I wouldn’t put it past him either.
Hines is a competitor. He was up for UNC, and he will be up for the bowl game.
It is still unknown if Hines will return for his Senior season. He earned 2nd Team All-American Honors from the AFCA (American Football Coaches Association), and if he’s even entertaining leaving for the draft, a big game would go a long way to increasing his draft stock.
Whether he is planning on leaving or not (I don’t think he will leave) I predict Hines has a monster performance. Not only is Arizona St weak against the run, but their coaching turnover situation projects to put an unstable product on the field.
We entered this season wondering how anyone could fill the shoes of Matt Dayes. If Hines rushed for 127 yards, he will surpass what Dayes did in 2016.
I say Hines gets loose and rushes for at least 150 yards. If he does, that would be good for at least 1,190 yards on the year, which would tie him for the 4th best season in NC State history by a running back.
Had Hines not been injured against Notre Dame, Clemson, and the second half of Wake Forest, we would be talking about Nyheim Hines and Ted Brown in the same breath.
247’s Brad Crawford released his Post-Spring 2024 Preseason College Football Top-25 recently, and NC State moved up 1 spot to #20.
ACC Teams in the Top-25
11. FSU
14. Miami
16. Clemson
20. NC State
24. Virginia Tech
25. Louisville
NC State Football
NC State Ranks 8th in Players Selected in the NFL Draft in the ACC in the Last 10 Years
The 2024 NFL Draft has come and gone, and NC State had two players drafted: Linebacker Payton Wilson in the 3rd round, and Center Dylan McMahon in the 6th round.
Over the past 10 years, NC State has produced 25 NFL Draft picks, and 3 1st round picks. The 25 Draft Picks ranks 8th in the ACC, and the 3 1st Round picks is tied for 7th.
NC State produced 18 NFL Draft Picks in the first 5 Draft’s of Dave Doeren’s tenure. Only 8 Wolfpack players have been selected in the past 5 NFL Drafts.
Players selected in the NFL Draft under Dave Doeren:
2024
Payton Wilson, LB – Pittsburgh – 3rd – 98th
Dylan McMahon, C – Philadelphia – 6th – 190th
NC State Cornerback Shyheim Battle has received an invitation from the New York Jets to participate in their Rookie Mini Camp.
NC State’s Shyheim Battle has been invited to rookie mini camp with the Jets with the opportunity to earn a priority free agent contract. #ncstate #NFLDraft #wpn
— Pat Welter WRAL (@PatrickWelter) April 28, 2024
Battle had 1 year of eligibility remaining, but declared for the NFL Draft on January 3rd.
He finished this past year as the most experienced player on the Wolfpack’s defense, starting in 41 of the 51 games he has played in dating back to 2019. In a rarity in this day-and-age, Battle was a 4-year starter at the Cornerback position for NC State. He graduated with a degree in Communications.
In his final season in Red and White, Battle had 46 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, 2 interceptions, 4 pass breakups and 1 fumble recovery. His PFF Grade of 70.6 was the 7th best on the Wolfpack defense.
