20 of the 23 former NC State players on active NFL rosters saw action in Week 3 of the 2019 NFL season. Check out a breakdown of how they did below.
Quarterback Russell Wilson (starter) was chucking the ball on Sunday, completing 32 of his 50 passes for 402 yards and 2 touchdowns (0 interceptions) in the Seahawks; 33-27 loss to the Saints. He also reminded the NFL what he can do with his legs, rushing for 51 yards (7 carries) and 2 touchdowns.
.@DangeRussWilson is the 1st player since 1950 with 400+ pass yds, 2+ pass TD, 50+ rush yds & 2+ rush TD in a game. #Seahawks
Quarterback Jacoby Brissett (starter) was sensational on Sunday, completing 28 of his 37 passes for 310 yards and 2 touchdowns in the Colts’ 27-24 victory over the Falcons. Brissett started the game in rare form, completing his first 16 passes.
Quarterbacks in their first 20 career starts to throw 8 interceptions or less since the NFL merger in 1970:
Quarterback Philip Rivers (starter) was 31 of 46 for 318 yards and 2 touchdown (0 interceptions) in the Chargers’ 27-20 loss to the Texans.
Linebacker Bradley Chubb (starter) had 5 tackles, 3 tackles for loss and 1 QB Hit in the Broncos’ 27-16 loss to the Packers. Chubb played 98% of the defensive snaps.
After being on the inactive list in Week 2, Wide Receiver Jakobi Meyers had 2 receptions for 38 yards (3 targets) in New England’s 30-14 victory over New York. With the exodus of Antonio Brown, Meyers played 64% of the offensive snaps.
After practically 1 week with the Raiders, Defensive Back Juston Burris (starter) returned to the Browns, where he finished last season. Burris not only was claimed off waivers, but he started Sunday, picking up an interception in the Browns’ 20-13 loss to the Rams. He also had 4 tackles, and played 100% of the defensive snaps.
Running Back Nyheim Hines rushed the ball twice for 3 yards, and had 3 receptions for 26 yards in Indianapolis’ 27-24 win over Atlanta. Hines played in 25% of the offensive snaps.
Offensive Guard Joe Thuney (starter) played 100% of the snaps in the Patirots’ 30-14 victory over the Jets.
Offensive Guard J.R. Sweezy (starter) played 100% of the snaps in the Cardinals’ 38-20 loss to the Panthers.
Center Garrett Bradbury (starter) played 100% of the snaps in the Vikings’ 34-14 victory over the Raiders. Bradbury posted the 2nd lowest grade on Minnesota’s offense according to ProFootballFocus, but it was improved from the week before.
Garrett Bradbury got a 51.9 pass blocking grade Sunday, which of course is much better than the 0.0 and 16.3 he received in the first two weeks. Still lots of room for improvement but at least it's trending upward. REALLY tough test coming in Chicago this week.
Defensive Tackle Justin Jones (starter) had 1 tackle in Los Angeles’ 27-20 loss to Houston. He played the most snaps of anyone on the Chargers defense (67%).
Defensive End B.J. Hill (starter) had 2 tackles in the Giants 32-31 win over the Bucs, playing in 51% of the defensive snaps.
Offensive Tackle Will Richardson didn’t start this week, but did play in 50% of the offensive snaps in Jacksonville’s 20-7 victory over Tennessee.
Punter A.J. Cole (starter) had a big foot on Sunday, averaging 54.3 yards per punt (4 punts) in Oakland’s 34-14 loss to Minnesota.
Place Kicker Stephen Hauschka (starter) connected on 2 of his 3 field goal attempts (34 & 45), with the one miss coming from 62 yards out. He also made his only extra point attempt in the Bills 21-17 victory over the Bengals.
Linebacker Germaine Pratt had 1 tackle in Cincinnati’s 21-17 loss to Buffalo. He played in 13% of the defensive snaps.
Wide Receiver Kelvin Harmon wasn’t targeted a single time in the Redskins’ 31-15 loss to the Bears last night, but he did pick up a Special Teams tackle. Harmon played in 13% of the offensive snaps.
Running Back Jaylen Samuels didn’t record any stats in the Steelers’ 24-20 loss to the 49ers, but did play in 26% of the offensive snaps.
Offensive Guard Ted Larsen played in 8 snaps of the Bears’ 31-15 victory over the Redskins.
Cornerback Dontae Johnson didn’t play any defensive snaps, but played 23 snaps on Special Teams in the Chargers’ 27-20 loss to the Texans.
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.
Former NC State Guard Terquavion Smith earned a spot on the 2023-24 NBA G-League All-Rookie Team.
Smith averaged 22.3 points, 3.4 assists and 3 rebounds per game for the Delaware Blue Coats. What’s crazy, is that he only started in 3 of the 36 games he played in. With that being said, he averaged 30.7 minutes per game. Smith shot 35.6% from three.
As a 2-way player, Smith also played 16 games for the Philadelphia 76ers, averaging 3.3 points in 5.3 minutes per game. He shot 37.1% from three.
Former NC State Linebacker Payton Wilson had a Top-30 visit with the Pittsburgh Steelers yesterday. Wilson is the first Linebacker the Steelers have brought in.
Updated Steelers visit tracker:
Interesting to note that Pittsburgh only met with one LB for a pre-draft visit: Payton Wilson. Huge injury history, but a great player (and athlete) when healthy.
The Pittsburgh #Steelers held a top 30 visit with #NCState LB Payton Wilson.
Wilson, at 6-foot-4, 233 pounds, is the first linebacker to be brought in for a pre-draft visit by the team. He’s expected to be drafted in the second round. pic.twitter.com/fVxjVhQArA
Wilson has the length, movement ability, IQ and tape of a first-round linebacker. What will likely keep him from being drafted on Day 1 is his injury history and age. If healthy, he can be a starting inside linebacker in any defense. (PFF)
Will someone take Wilson in the 1st round? Will he be a 2nd round pick? If he slips past that, that’s just stupid.
Horne is trying to become the first Wolfpack player to be drafted since Dennis Smith Jr. was drafted by the Dallas Mavericks with the 6th pick in the 1st Round.
While Horne might not currently be projected to be drafted, he is trying to change that tune at the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament which begins tomorrow.
Horne is a special player, and genuinely possesses the skill set to compete at the next level. Whether he is drafted, or signs a 2-way contract, what he put on tape this year warrants a chance.
Last season as a Senior, Jackson had 40 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss, and 2.5 sacks in 12 games for the Wolfpack. His Run Defense grade on PFF was 80.6, ranking 4th on the team.
According to current projections, Jackson projects to be taken on Day 3 of the 2024 NFL Draft, or picked up as an Undrafted Free Agent.