11 of the 20 former NC State players on active NFL rosters saw action in Week 6 of the 2019 NFL season. Check out a breakdown of how they did below.
Quarterback Russell Wilson (starter) continued to put up MVP numbers, completing 23 of 33 for 295 yards and 2 touchdowns (0 interceptions) in Seattle’s 32-28 victory over Cleveland. His QB Rating was 117.6 and he rushed the ball 9 times for 31 yards and touchdown. Through 6 games, Wilson has thrown 14 touchdowns, and has yet to throw an interception.
.@Seahawks QB @DangeRussWilson joined Aaron Rodgers (2011), Tom Brady (2007) and Carson Palmer (2005) as the only players to have a passer rating of 100 or higher in each of their team's first six games of a season in NFL history. #NFL100#SEAvsCLEpic.twitter.com/hl9JrBBPNo
Defensive Tackle Justin Jones (starter) had 8 tackles in the Chargers’ 24-17 loss to the Steelers, which was a team high. In fact, the 8 tackles were a career high for Jones. He played in 77% of the defensive snaps.
Linebacker Germaine Pratt (starter) started his first career game, and had 5 tackles in Cincinnati’s 23-17 loss to Baltimore. Pratt played in 38% of the defensive snaps.
Wide Receiver Jakobi Meyers had 4 receptions (4 targets) for 54 yards in the Patriots’ 35-14 victory over the Giants on Thursday Night Football. It was the best game of Meyers’ rookie season, recording career highs in both receptions and receiving yards. Meyers played in 70% of the offensive snaps, seeing his playing time increase when Josh Gordon went down with an injury in the game.
You do love to see it😍 Rookie Jakobi Meyers with a big-time catch. The future is bright fam. pic.twitter.com/9j3ISrs4Bp
— 🏈Fantasy Football Pro Strategies🏆 (@ffps_pat) October 11, 2019
Center Garrett Bradbury (starter) played 100% of the offensive snaps in Minnesota’s 38-20 victory over the Eagles. Bradbury is starting to get the hang of things:
For the second week in a row #Vikings Center Garrett Bradbury has had a career high pass blocking grade (85.2) and allowed 0 pressures #SKOLpic.twitter.com/ezgFMpt1sH
Quarterback Philip Rivers (starter) wasn’t sharp, completing 26 of 44 for 320 yards and 2 touchdowns to go with 2 interceptions. He also fumbled the ball once, resulting in a Pittsburgh scoop and score.
Offensive Guard Joe Thuney (starter) played 100% of the snaps in New England’s 35-14 victory over the Giants.
Offensive Guard J.R. Sweezy (starter) played 100% of the offensive snaps in Arizona’s 34-33 victory over the Falcons.
Defensive End B.J. Hill (starter) had two tackles in New York’s 35-14 loss to New England. Hill played in 61% of the defensive snaps, which was the 2nd highest total on the Giants defense.
Wide Receiver Kelvin Harmon (starter) started the second game of his career, and had 1 reception (1 target) in the Redskins’ 17-16 victory over the Dolphins.
Offensive Tackle Will Richardson played in 36% of the offensive snaps in Jacksonville’s 13-6 loss to New Orleans.
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 All-American Shortstop Trea Turner was named the National League Player of the Week last week.
The 30-year-old hit .462 (12-for-26) with a home run, four RBI, five doubles, a walk, 10 runs scored, a stolen base and a .481 on-base percentage in six games last week.
The Florida native led the Majors in runs scored; tied for the NL lead in doubles and extra-base hits (6); ranked third in slugging (.769), OPS (1.250) and hits (12); and ranked fourth in total bases (20).
The two-time All-Star recorded four straight multi-hit games from Tuesday through Saturday, putting together three-hit games on Wednesday against Colorado and Thursday against Chicago (AL). It was the third time in his Phillies’ tenure and eighth time in his career that he had at least four-straight multi-hit games.
The 2019 World Series Champion has hits in 10 straight games since April 11th, batting .429 (18-for-42) with two homers, six RBI, six doubles, two walks, 12 runs scored, a stolen base and a 1.169 OPS during the stretch. He has reached in each of his last 13 games since April 8th, batting .434/.483/.660 over the stretch.
The North Carolina State product stole home on Sunday against the White Sox, marking his 40th consecutive stolen base since September 6, 2022 when he was a member of the Dodgers. His current streak surpassed Jimmy Rollins for the fourth-longest all-time and is now tied with Hall of Famer Tim Raines for the third-longest streak in Major League history. Next on the list is Ichiro Suzuki, who swiped 45 straight bases from April 29, 2006 through May 16, 2007, and Vince Coleman, who stole a Major League record 50 straight bases from September 18, 1988 through July 26, 1989. (MLB)
Turner was a 2-time All-American at NC State. In 2012, Turner was named 3rd Team All-American by NCBWA, and in 2013 he was named 2nd Team by Collegiate Baseball, and 3rd Team by NCBWA and Baseball America.
Turner’s 113 career stolen bases at NC State are the most in school history.
Turner was drafted by the San Diego Padres in the 1st Round with the 13th overall pick in the 2014 MLB Draft.
Payton Wilson – 1st Round – 29th Overall Pick – Indianapolis Colts
It’s a cliché to go “best athlete available” for the Colts, but Payton Wilson certainly ticked that box at the NFL scouting combine. Wilson was exceptional in his final season at NC State, earning grades above 75.0 in all three facets of defense, led by his 90.0 coverage grade with three interceptions and four forced incompletions.
Wilson has an early-round grade based strictly on his game tape, but durability concerns could drop him to this range — or even later. He had 130 tackles, six sacks and three interceptions last season.
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.