Why the NFL draft will be a showcase for NC State's football program
Dave Doeren is going to the NFL draft on Thursday night to see the first of what could be as many as eight N.C. State players selected.
Defensive end Bradley Chubb, a projected top-5 pick, is expected to lead a parade of Wolfpack draftees over the three-day event. The first round starts at 8 p.m on Thursday from AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
For the N.C. State coach, the draft is the culmination of a process that has been five years in the making.
“It’s what they’ve been talking about since we recruited them,” Doeren said. “To get to see it and be a part of it, it’s going to be fun for us.”
This could be the biggest draft class for N.C. State, which had six players taken in 2012 and 2006. Before the draft was shortened to seven rounds, the Wolfpack had five players selected in 1991 and 1980.
Chubb is the only player from an in-state college expected to go in the first round. The rest of the Wolfpack contingent will likely hear their names on Friday (second and third rounds) or Saturday (rounds No. 4 through 7).
North Carolina and Wake Forest each have two defensive players expected to be taken on either Friday or Saturday.
Thursday will be Chubb’s show and a showcase for the Wolfpack program. The affable defensive end, who already has signed endorsement deals with adidas and Old Spice, just might be the best prospect in the draft.
Overlooked out of high school in Georgia, Chubb set records at N.C. State for sacks and tackles for loss. He was the ACC defensive player of the year in 2017 and won the Bronko Nagurski Award as the nation’s top defender.
As good of a senior season as Chubb had for the Wolfpack, which finished 9-4 and No. 23 in the country, he gained attention for his dancing and towel-stealing antics. The NFL has been derisively dubbed the “No Fun League” but Chubb’s gregarious personality should be a welcomed addition.
“That guy is who he is,” Doeren said. “He’ll have his fun but he’ll make it about his team and the game.”
Chubb could go as high as the No. 2 pick to the New York Giants but is unlikely to fall past the Denver Broncos at No. 5. Giants general manager Dave Gettleman had a habit of taking defensive linemen early in the draft when he was with the Carolina Panthers.
Von Miller, Denver’s star defensive end, has already indirectly lobbied for the Broncos to add Chubb.
The next wave of draft picks from in-state ACC schools will likely come from the group of UNC cornerback M.J. Stewart, Wake Forest safety Jessie Bates, N.C. State tackle Will Richardson and the Wolfpack’s versatile duo of Nyheim Hines and Jaylen Samuels.
When New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick came to N.C. State’s pro day in March he worked specifically with the defensive linemen but Samuels would be a natural fit with the NFL’s outside-the-box king.
“(Belichick) likes him,” Doeren said. “He’s intrigued by JaySam and the different things he can do within their system.”
Samuels played tight end, running back and receiver for N.C. State. He didn’t have one position but he did set the school record for career receptions (202) and he scored 47 career touchdowns, second-most in school history.
N.C. State’s ability to top its previous mark for most players drafted will depend on how NFL teams view defensive lineman Kentavius Street. Street suffered a serious knee injury in a pre-draft workout. He was projected as a late-round pick before the injury.
Guard Tony Adams, who missed the Wolfpack’s bowl win with a knee injury, was not invited to the NFL combine but has generated enough interest during workouts that he could get drafted.
NFL draft projections
NC State: DE Bradley Chubb (1st round), T Will Richardson (3), G Tony Adams (4), RB Nyheim Hines (4), DT B.J. Hill (4), RB/WR Jaylen Samuels (4), DL Kentavius Street (6), DT Justin Jones (6)
UNC: CB MJ Stewart (3), LB Andre Smith (4)
Wake Forest: S Jessie Bates (2), DE Duke Ejiofor (4)
Source: CBS Sports
NFL draft
Thursday: first round, 8 p.m., ESPN, FOX, NFL Network
Friday: rounds No. 2-3, 7 p.m., ESPN, FOX, NFL Network
Thursday: rounds No. 4-7, noon, ESPN, FOX, NFL Network
This story was originally published April 25, 2018 at 12:45 PM with the headline "Why the NFL draft will be a showcase for NC State's football program."