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Pack in the Pros

Mike Tomlin’s Thoughts on the Steelers Drafting NC State’s Payton Wilson

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Steelers Head Coach Mike Tomlin was ecstatic that NC State Linebacker Payton Wilson was available for Pittsburgh to pick up with the 98th overall pick of the 2024 NFL Draft.

“We had to get comfortable with his medical and we brought him in on a pre draft visit. We allowed our medical experts to really get a good evaluation of him. We talked to him about his injury history. We were at a place of comfort. And so from that perspective, man, we’re really excited about having him.” (Link)

“Man, we’re really excited about Peyton. When we turn his tape on, we see him making all the type of plays you need linebackers to make. He’s a volume tackle player. He makes plays in the passing game from a coverage perspective via interception and pass breakup. He gets after the quarterback in the blitz game. He’s got a very well-rounded skillset. He’s a fluid mover. He can run. Had an opportunity to lay some real up close eyes on him down there in Mobile at the Senior Bowl, we’re thankful we had an opportunity to get him. He’s got all the hardware that comes with some of those things that I described being a Butkus Award winner and so forth. We had to get comfortable with his medical and we brought him in on a pre draft visit. We allowed Our medical experts to really get a good evaluation of him. We talked to him about his injury history. We were at a place of comfort. And so from that perspective, man, we’re really excited about having him.” (Link)

“I think you could characterize it as surprised. I mean, he is an award-winning linebacker, Butkus Award winner. Had an opportunity to get really familiar with him down in Mobile as well. But the linebackers themselves weren’t coming off the board at that juncture. So sometimes they make runs on positions at different times and it hadn’t been a lot of linebackers to that point. I think what he was number five or so.” (Link)

“We’re really excited about Payton. When we turn his tape on, we see him making all the types of plays you need linebackers to make. He’s a volume tackle player. He makes plays in the passing game from a coverage perspective via interception and pass breakup. He gets after the quarterback in the blitz game. He’s got a very well-rounded skill set. He’s a fluid mover. We had to get comfortable with his medical, and we were. We brought him in on a pre-draft visit to allow our medical experts to really get a good evaluation of him. We talked to him about his injury history. We were at a place of comfort, and so from that perspective, we’re really excited about having him.” (Link)

Matthew is Publisher and Co-Owner of Pack Insider. He is also the Lead Pastor of The Point Church in Cary, NC.

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Pack in the Pros

NFL Week 8 Pack Pros Report

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Here’s a rundown of how the former NC State football players in the NFL did in Week 8.

Wide Receiver Jakobi Meyers (starter) had 6 receptions for 52 yards and a touchdown in the Raiders’ 20-27 loss to the Chiefs. His PFF grade was 75.3, which was his highest grade of the season.

Quarterback Russell Wilson (starter) was 20 of 28 for 278 yards and a touchdown in the Steelers’ 26-18 win over the Giants. His QB Rating was 114.9.

Quarterback Jacoby Brissett came in for an injured Drake Maye and led the Patriots to a come-from-behind 25-22 win over the Jets. He was 15 of 24 for 132 yards. His PFF grade was 64.3.

Linebacker Germaine Pratt (starter) tied for the team lead in tackles (9) in the Bengals’ 17-37 loss to the Eagles. His PFF grade was 61.1.

Defensive Tackle BJ Hill (starter) had 6 tackles in Cincy’s 17-37 loss to Philly. His PFF grade was 85.2, which was the highest grade on the team, and his highest grade of the season.

Cornerback Nick McCloud (starter) had 6 tackles in the Giants’ 18-26 loss to the Steelers.

Linebacker James Smith-Williams (starter) had 4 tackles in the Falcons’ 31-26 win over the Bucs. His PFF grade was 69.3, which was his highest grade of the season.

Linebacker Payton Wilson (starter) had 3 tackles and 2 QB Hits in the Steelers’ 26-18 win over the Giants.

Defensive Tackle Alim McNeill (starter) had 2 tackles and 1 tackle for loss in the Lions’ 52-14 win over the Titans. His PFF grade was 80.6, which was his 2nd highest grade of the season.

Left Guard Joe Thuney (starter) played every snap in the Chiefs’ 27-20 win over the Raiders. His PFF grade was 79.5.

Left Tackle Ikem Ekwonu (starter) played every snap in the Panthers’ 14-28 loss to the Broncos, with a PFF grade of 57.4.

Center Garrett Bradbury (starter) played every snap in the Vikings’ 20-30 loss to the Rams. His PFF grade of 52.3 was his 2nd lowest grade of the season.

Drake Thomas didn’t play any snaps at Linebacker in Seattle’s 10-31 loss to Buffalo, but he did play 16 snaps on Special Teams, earning a PFF grade of 82.8.

Punter AJ Cole (starter) averaged 64.0 yards per punt on 2 punts in Las Vegas’ 20-27 loss to Kansas City.

DNP

Center Dylan McMahon – Rams

Left Guard Chandler Zavala – Panthers

Inactive

Defensive Tackle Kentavius Street – Falcons

Injury

Running Back Nyheim Hines – Browns (out for the year)
Defensive Tackle Larrell Murchison – Rams
Defensive Tackle Justin Jones – Cardinals (out for the year)
Linebacker Bradley Chubb – Dolphins

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Pack in the Pros

Carlos Rodon is the 2nd Pitcher in NC State History to Start a Game in a World Series

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Former All-American Pitcher Carlos Rodon started for the New York Yankees on Saturday night in Game 2 of the World Series. The game didn’t go the way Rodon would have liked, giving up 4 earned runs in 3.1 innings. He struck out three, while walking none, but it was the three home runs he allowed that pushed him out of the game. Rodon was credited with the loss.

Despite the loss, Rodon is only the 2nd former NC State pitcher to start a game in a World Series, joining Mike Caldwell, who started two games for the Milwaukee Brewers in the 1982 World Series against the St. Louis Cardinals. Caldwell went 2-0 in his 2 starts. In Game 1, he pitched a complete game shutout, striking out 3, while allowing only 3 hits. In Game 5, Caldwell gave up 4 runs on 14 hits in 8.1 innings, while striking out 3.

Rodon is only the 3rd former Wolfpack Pitcher to step on the mound in a World Series. Tim Stoddard made 4 relief appearances for the Orioles in the 1979 World Series against the Pirates. In 5 innings of work, Stoddard posted an ERA of 5.40 and struck out three.

 

 

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Pack in the Pros

NFL Week 7 Pack Pros Report

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Here’s a rundown of how the former NC State football players in the NFL did in Week 7.

Quarterback Russell Wilson (starter) was 16 of 29 for 264 yards and 2 touchdowns in the Steelers’ 37-15 win over the Jets. His QB Rating was 109.0 and his PFF grade was 64.1. Russell also rushed for a 2-yard touchdown. It was a historical day for Wilson.

Linebacker Payton Wilson’s (starter) 10 tackles in Pittsburgh’s 37-15 win over the Jets marked a new career high, and the first time he has led the Steelers in tackles in his Rookie season. He started for the 2nd game this season, and recorded a PFF grade of 52.5.

Linebacker Germaine Pratt (starter) led the Bengals with 13 tackles in their 21-14 win over the Browns. He also had a QB Hit and a PFF grade of 50.2. Pratt currently has 71 tackles on the season, which is tied for 3rd in the NFL.

Linebacker James Smith-Williams (starter) had 1 tackle, that was a sack (first of the year), in Atlanta’s 14-34 loss to Seattle. He also had 2 QB Hits, and a PFF grade of 67.7.

Defensive Tackle BJ Hill (starter) had 1 tackle and 1 pass breakup in Cincy’s 21-14 win over Cleveland. He had a PFF grade of 71.5.

Cornerback Nick McCloud had 1 pass breakup in the Giants’ 3-28 loss to the Eagles. He recorded a PFF grade of 53.6 in 18 snaps.

Linebacker Drake Thomas played 4 snaps in Seattle’s 34-14 win over the Falcons, but didn’t record any stats. His PFF grade was 74.3.

Defensive Tackle Alim McNeill (starter) didn’t record any stats in the Lions’ 31-29 win over the Vikings. He recorded a PFF grade of 60.5 in 50 snaps.

Left Guard Joe Thuney (starter) started and played every snap in the Chiefs’ 28-18 win over the 49ers. His PFF grade of 83.2 was his 2nd highest grade of the season, marking the 2nd straight week with a grade of 80+.

Left Tackle Ikem Ekwonu (starter) started and played every snap in Carolina’s 7-40 loss to Washington. His PFF grade of 80.4 was his highest grade of the season, and the second highest of his career.

Center Garrett Bradbury (starter) started and played every snap in Minnesota’s 29-31 loss to Detroit. He had a PFF grade of 56.0.

Left Guard Chandler Zavala played 2 snaps in the Panthers’ 7-40 loss to the Commanders. His PFF grade was 60.0

Punter AJ Cole (starter) averaged 47.5 yards per punt (4 punts) in Las Vegas’ 15-20 loss to the Rams.

DNP

Quarterback Jacoby Brissett – Patriots

Running Back Nyheim Hines – Browns

Center Dylan McMahon – Eagles

Inactive

Defensive Tackle Kentavius Street – Falcons

Injury

Linebacker Bradley Chubb – Dolphins

Wide Receiver Jakobi Meyers – Raiders

Defensive Tackle Justin Jones – Cardinals

Defensive Tackle Larrell Murchison – Rams

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Pack in the Pros

NC State’s NBA Career Statistical Leaders

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The 2024-25 NBA Season starts tonight, and currently there are 2 former NC State players on NBA rosters. Caleb and Cody Martin both played two years with the Wolfpack before transferring to Nevada. Caleb plays for the Sixers, and Cody plays for the Hornets.

According to my calculations, 51 former NC State Men’s Basketball players have gone on to play in the NBA.

Here’s a look at the Wolfpack’s career NBA statistical leaders:

Points

  1. David Thompson – 13,422
  2. Thurl Bailey – 11,834
  3. Tom Gugliotta – 9,895
  4. Spud Webb – 8,072
  5. Kenny Carr – 7,813
  6. Vinny Del Negro – 7,038
  7. TJ Warren – 5,497
  8. JJ Hickson – 5,081
  9. Nate McMillan – 4,733
  10. Tommy Burleson – 4,190

Scoring Average

  1. David Thompson – 22.7
  2. TJ Warren – 14.3
  3. Tom Gugliotta – 13.0
  4. Thurl Bailey – 12.8
  5. Kenny Carr – 11.6
  6. Spud Webb – 9.9
  7. Dennis Smith Jr. – 9.7
  8. JJ Hickson – 9.5
  9. Tommy Burleson – 9.4
  10. Vinny Del Negro – 9.1

Rebounds

  1. Tom Gugliotta – 5,589
  2. Kenny Carr – 4,999
  3. Thurl Bailey – 4,718
  4. JJ Hickson – 3,639
  5. Nate McMillan – 3,222
  6. Tommy Burleson – 2,794
  7. David Thompson – 2,446
  8. Chucky Brown – 2,148
  9. Vinny Del Negro – 1,810
  10. Spud Webb – 1,742

Assists

  1. Nate McMillan – 4,893
  2. Spud Webb – 4,342
  3. Vinny Del Negro – 2,484
  4. Tom Gugliotta – 2,140
  5. David Thompson – 1,939
  6. Dennis Smith Jr. – 1,381
  7. Thurl Bailey – 1,298
  8. Kenny Carr – 923
  9. Damien Wilkins – 796
  10. Sidney Lowe – 749

Blocks

  1. Thurl Bailey – 1,086
  2. Tommy Burleson – 591
  3. David Thompson – 509
  4. Tom Gugliotta – 492
  5. Nate McMillan – 356
  6. JJ Hickson – 309
  7. Kenny Carr – 296
  8. Chucky Brown – 216
  9. TJ Warren – 181
  10. Charles Shackleford – 148

Steals

  1. Nate McMillan – 1,544
  2. Tom Gugliotta – 1,079
  3. Spud Webb – 922
  4. David Thompson – 595
  5. Vinny Del Negro – 576
  6. Kenny Carr – 484
  7. Thurl Bailey – 435
  8. Damien Wilkins – 431
  9. Dennis Smith Jr. – 377
  10. TJ Warren – 353

3-Pointers Made

  1. Spud Webb – 320
  2. Nate McMillan – 298
  3. Caleb Martin – 280
  4. TJ Warren – 271
  5. Dennis Smith Jr. – 270
  6. Vinny Del Negro – 243
  7. Tom Gugliotta – 208
  8. Damien Wilkins – 205
  9. Cody Martin – 125
  10. CJ Williams – 27

Games Played

  1. Thurl Bailey – 928
  2. Spud Webb – 814
  3. Nate McMillan – 796
  4. Vinny Del Negro – 771
  5. Tom Gugliotta – 763
  6. Chucky Brown – 694
  7. Kenny Carr – 674
  8. David Thompson – 592
  9. Damien Wilkins – 582
  10. JJ Hickson – 534

 

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