NC State 2018 Football Position Preview: Offensive Line

Thus far we’ve previewed the Quarterbacks, Running Backs, Wide Receivers, and Tight Ends. As we continue previewing each position group leading up to NC State’s season opener against James Madison on September 1st, next up is the Offensive Line.

The Starters

While the Wide Receiver Corps is the best position group for the Wolfpack heading into 2018, the Offensive Line isn’t far behind. NC State returns 3 Senior Offensive Linemen that earned All-ACC honors last year, and will play in the NFL next season.

Redshirt Senior Left Guard Terronne Prescod (6’5″/334) finished with a grade of 85.3 last season according to ProFootballFocus, which is the 2nd highest of any returning player (Ryan Finley is #1 – 89.8) on NC State. He earned 2nd Team All-ACC honors in 2017 from ProFootballFocus. ESPN’s Greg McElroy ranks Prescod as the #4 Offensive Guard in all of college football heading into 2018. He loves to get down the field, accumulating 48 knockdowns last season.

Redshirt Senior Left Tackle Tyler Jones (6’3″/306) finished with a grade of 83.0 according to ProFootballFocus, which is the 6th best grade of any returning Wolfpack player. He was a 1st Team All-ACC selection by the Atlantic Coast Sports Media Association in 2017.  He only allowed 14 total pressures last season, which is tied for the fewest among returning ACC tackles.

Needless to say, the Left Side of the Band of Brothers is straight baller.

Redshirt Graduate Senior Center Garrett Bradbury (6’3″/300) is a self-made man. He arrived at NC State as a Tight End. He then was moved to Defensive Tackle…then to Offensive Guard…and finally landed at Center. His grade last season according to ProFootballFocus was 82.0, which is the 7th best grade of any returning NC State player. In 2017, he earned 1st Team All-ACC honors from the Atlantic Coast Sports Media Association. Bradbury was selected to be 1 of the 4 Wolfpack captains by his teammates. He’s on the Preseason Watch List for both the Outland and Rimington trophies.

The right side of the O-Line will have fresh faces on Saturday, after the graduation of Will Richardson and Tony Adams, who are teammates once again on the Jacksonville Jaguars. The positive is that starters Justin Witt and Joshua Fedd-Jackson played side-by-side all last year on the 2nd team.

Redshirt Sophomore Justin Witt (6’6″/310) will get the nod at Right Tackle. While he has big shoes to fill, he gained valuable experience in 2017, starting the season opener against South Carolina, and played a total of 136 snaps in three games. While some might have thought that Witt had the job locked up heading into the season, Doeren revealed in the press conference that he was neck-and-neck with Redshirt Junior Tyrone Riley. If Witt falters, expect Riley to be called upon quickly.

Sophomore Joshua Fedd-Jackson (6’3″/329) will start at Right Guard.  Like Witt, he was thrown into high pressure situations in 2017, jumping in for the injured Tony Adams in the 3rd quarter of the UNC game, and he started the Bowl Game vs. Arizona St. Don’t get me wrong, Tony Adams will be missed. He was one of the best Offensive Guards in the nation the last two years. With that being said, I can’t wait for Fedd-Jackson to get his chance to shine. He is nasty, relentless, and doesn’t stop until the man he’s blocking is on the ground. I can’t help but share his high school tape.

The 2’s

Redshirt Junior Left Tackle Emanuel McGirt (6’6″/300) has been injured for a majority of his first two seasons at NC State, but he’s entering 2018 healthy. If you look at recruiting rankings, McGirt was the highest rated player coming out of high school on the Wolfpack offensive line. He was a 4-star recruit, and the #196 overall player in the 2015 recruiting class according to Rivals. He has the height and length you look for in a Tackle.

Redshirt Junior Right Tackle Tyrone Riley (6’6″/290) moved over from Defensive End to the Offensive Line this year. Like McGirt, he possess the height and length you look for in a Tackle. Moving from Defensive End, Riley possesses mobility and speed that a lot of offensive linemen don’t typically have. Wolfpack head coach Dave Doeren said yesterday in his weekly press conference that Riley was pushing Witt though Fall Camp. In fact, he said they were dead even, but unfortunately, he got pneumonia and missed a week of practice.

Redshirt Sophomore Center Joe Sculthorpe (6’3″/314) possesses versatility. He has worn the hat of Offensive Guard and Center. Also, like Witt and Fedd-Jackson, Sculthorpe got vital experience as a Freshman last year, starting for the suspended Will Richardson at Tackle in the Marshall game.

Redshirt Freshman Left Guard Bryson Speas (6’4″/277) possesses the tools, but he simply needs to add weight and strength to his frame.

Redshirt Junior Right Guard Philip Walton Jr. (6’6″/300) made the most of his opportunities in Fall Camp, landing in the 2-Deep.

How much will the 2’s play?

The way that Dwayne Ledford runs his offensive line doesn’t lend itself to much rotation. The starters tend to be workhorses, playing nearly every snap of every game. I don’t see Jones, Prescod or Bradbury coming off of the field, but depending on the play of Fedd-Jackson and Witt, there could be some rotation on the right side of the line.