NC State punter picked in NFL Draft, other Pack players sign as undrafted free agents
Punter Trenton Gill became the second N.C. State player off the board during the 2022 NFL Draft, and running back Zonovan “Bam” Knight signed as an undrafted free agent with the New York Jets shortly after the draft concluded Saturday night.
Gill, who set the school record for punt average (46.3) as a junior, went as projected in the seventh round, taken with the 255th pick in the draft by the Chicago Bears. Gill has experience as a kickoff specialist and he has adequate hang time.
Gill played soccer and football in high school, and walked on at N.C. State. For the 2019 season, he earned third-team all-ACC honors, ranking third in the Football Bowl Subdivision with 47.6 yards per punt. In 2021 he was named first-team all-conference, averaging 45.1 yards per punt. Gill also served as a kickoff specialist for three years.
Knight, who starred at Southern Nash High, played three seasons at N.C. State, with 2,286 career-rushing yards and 18 touchdowns.
Knight made his impact felt on special teams in a big way in 2021. He returned kickoffs for touchdowns in back-to-back games against Syracuse and Wake Forest. Those two returns gave him three kickoff returns for touchdowns in his career. His kickoff return average was 35.2 yards per return, the best in school history and second in the FBS this year.
“Him being able to wear more hats, showing that he can be a return specialist, that definitely can help him out a lot, especially if he goes to a team that has a running back that gets a lot of carries,” ESPN draft analyst Jordan Reid said about Knight in February. “He can find himself on the field quicker, just because he is a return specialist.”
His three kickoff returns for touchdowns ranks third in school history. This season, Knight was a first-team all-ACC specialist and a CBS Sports first-team All-American.
For his career, Knight averaged 5.45 yards per carry, which ranked first in the N.C. State record books. He’s 11th in all-purpose yards (3,546) and 12th in rushing (2,286). Knight started all 12 games in 2021 (13 for his career) and had 18 career touchdowns on the ground. In 2021, he led the Pack in rushing with 765 yards on 140 attempts. He also caught 21 passes for 156 yards.
Knight started seven games as a true freshman, rushing for a team-high 745 yards. He was a backup to Ricky Person, Jr. in 2020, and once again led the team in rushing, this time with 788 yards. The Bailey, North Carolina native started the 2021 season by having the best game of his Wolfpack career: Against South Florida, Knight rushed for 163 yards.
Gill and Knight’s teammate, Wolfpack offensive tackle Ikem Ekwonu, went No. 6 overall to the Carolina Panthers in the first round.
Person, who prepped at Heritage High, went undrafted, but will go to camp with the Baltimore Ravens. Person rushed for 471 yards in 2021. In four years with the Wolfpack, Person totaled 1,979 yards and 14 touchdowns.
Person will be joined in Baltimore by former N.C. State teammate Emeka Emezie, according to multiple reports. Emezie, from Charlotte, is N.C. State’s all-time receptions leader with 229 career catches. Linebacker Vi Jones, who started the final five games and finished fourth on the team in tackles (45) will go to camp with the Seattle Seahawks. Jones blocked three kicks in the 2020 season, ranking third in school history for blocked kicks in a single season.
Former Southeast Raleigh quarterback Dylan Parham, who switched to tight end at N.C. State, will head to camp with the Denver Broncos. In Denver he’ll join former Wolfpack stars Russell Wilson and Bradley Chubb. Parham was known mostly for his blocking, but caught two touchdown passes in 2021.
This story was originally published April 30, 2022 at 7:35 PM.
