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Pack in the Pros

AJ Cole is the Last Punter Standing in Oakland

Published

4 years ago

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Former NC State punter AJ Cole went to Rookie Minicamp with hardly any expectations of being signed. Honestly, the percentage of players there that get a contract are miniscule.

But in the end, Cole was one of the few from that were invited to Training Camp, still with no guarantee of a roster spot.

But uncertainty became certainty for Cole yesterday, when the Raiders waived Johnny Townsend, their punter from 2018, leaving the former Wolfpacker as the final punter still in the Oakland Raiders camp.

“To sign some players, you have to let some players go,” (Jon) Gruden (head coach) said Tuesday. “Hate to see Johnny [Townsend] go. We still think he’s a really good punter. A.J. Cole deserves to be our guy at this point.”

“Well, he has a tremendous leg,” (Rich) Bisaccia (Special Teams Coordinator) said. “He has a natural hang to him, kind of even on his bad ball he can kind of get away with it. He’s a high-hit guy on his contact on the ball and he’s really improved his holding as he’s come along. And he can kickoff, so it gives us a little bit of an advantage that way with having the ability to have two guys that can kickoff through preseason.” (Raiders)

Cole’s 220 punts rank 3rd in NC State history, his 9,288 punting yards ranks 2nd, and his 42.2 yard average ranks 3rd.

 

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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.

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Pack in the Pros

NC State’s Trea Turner is En Fuego Heading into WBC Championship

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6 days ago

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March 21, 2023

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Former NC State All-American Shortstop Trea Turner has been en fuego representing the United States in the World Baseball Classic. He has helped lead the United States to the finals against Japan, which begins tonight at 7pm.

Turner currently is batting .368 through 5 games. Four of his seven hits have been home runs, which leads all batters in the World Baseball Classic.

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Former NC State C Garrett Bradbury Signs 3-Year Deal with the Vikings

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2 weeks ago

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March 15, 2023

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Former NC State All-American Center Garrett Bradbury has re-signed with the Vikings on a 3-year deal worth $15.75 million.

Bradbury just wrapped up his 4-year Rookie contract worth $13 million. The Vikings decided not to pick up his 5th year option prior to last season, but they decided to go ahead and re-sign Bradbury, who has been their starter since entering the league.

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Former NC State WR Jakobi Meyers Signs 3-Year Deal with Las Vegas

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2 weeks ago

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March 15, 2023

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Former NC State Wide Receiver Jakobi Meyers got paid yesterday, signing a 3-year deal with the Raiders worth $33 million, with $21 million of it guaranteed.

After going undrafted, Meyers signed with New England, and has been with the Pats the past 4 seasons. Last year was the first year that Meyers made over $1 million, earning $3.986 million on a 1-year contract. Now he will average $11 million a season over the next three years in Vegas.

Over 4 seasons, Meyers has 235 receptions for 2,758 yards and 8 touchdown receptions. Meyers earned this pay day, leading the Pats in receiving yards for the past three seasons consecutively.

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Former NC State LB Germaine Pratt Signs 3-Year Deal with Bengals

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2 weeks ago

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March 14, 2023

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Former NC State Linebacker Germaine Pratt is going to be staying in Cincy, signing a 3-year contract with the Bengals worth $21 million.

Pratt just wrapped up his 4th season in the NFL, which was his best, tallying 99 tackles, 10 pass deflections and 2 interceptions.

The Bengals drafted Pratt in the 3rd round of the 2019 NFL Draft.

Pratt was the 11th highest graded Linebacker in the NFL last seasons, and the 3rd highest in the AFC, posting a grade of 78.4 according to ProFootballFocus.

Former NC State Defensive Tackle BJ Hill, who has been a teammate with Pratt on Cincy the past two seasons, said he would go bald if Pratt re-signed.

The Bengals then trolled Hill, asking when the head was getting shaved.

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