NC State football players take advantage of ‘amazing opportunity’ at Wolfpack pro day
N.C. State’s Grant Gibson said he had game-like nerves Tuesday, with the same kind of butterflies.
“Last night it was like, ‘Wow, it feels like I’m about to go play a game,’” Gibson said. “It was awesome to come and compete one last time.”
It was pro day for the Wolfpack, with all the assorted NFL scouts and officials on hand to watch the Pack’s NFL hopefuls, and all 32 teams said to be represented.
“Thank you for coming,” Pack coach Dave Doeren said to the group before the drills began. “We know you could have been in a lot of places. It’s a great group of young men and as you know this is an important step in their journey. It’s another amazing opportunity for them to showcase not just what they can do, but who they are.”
That’s what Gibson wanted. And the Wolfpack’s Isaiah Moore, Tyler Baker-Williams, Cyrus Fagan, and the Thomas brothers, Thayer and Drake. They and others went through the vertical leap and sprinted 40 yards and did the shuttle drill and broad jump and ran pass routes as the NFL guys watched and made notes.
Former N.C. State quarterback Mike Glennon, who played in the NFL, even ran out to his car for his football shoes and threw passes to Thayer Thomas, the Pack’s slot receiver for five years.
“He was perfect,” Thomas said. “It was like riding a bike for him. He didn’t take many throws for him to feel back to normal.”
Moore and Christopher Dunn, who won the 2022 Lou Groza Award as the nation’s best kicker, were invited to the NFL Combine this year. The others were not, although some including the Thomas brothers did get invitations to the East-West Shrine Bowl, an all-star type affair that attracted an NFL contingent.
Thayer Thomas said he had a 37-inch vertical and said some scouts had him with a time “in the 4.4’s” in the 40 on Tuesday. Moore, who played middle linebacker and was a team captain for three years, said he did a 4.46, which was impressive for a player who is 6-2 and 230 pounds, and had some of his teammates whooping it up.
Offensive lineman Chandler Zavala bench-pressed 225 pounds a total of 30 times. That had things loud, too, in the Close-King Indoor Facility as those around him urged him on. It was a good say for Zavala.
“I’m just glad it’s over so now I can just train as a football player instead of like a track runner and stuff like that,” Thayer Thomas said, smiling.
Thayer said he and his brother have lived together “in a shell” the past three months, training, preparing. Both, he said, have something of a “chip” on their shoulder in trying to prove they’re NFL worthy, proving their measurables are just that — some numbers — and don’t reveal their commitment and ability.
Drake Thomas could have returned to N.C. State for another season but decided to enter the 2023 NFL Draft, which will be held April 27-29 in Kansas City.
“I didn’t think there was anything left for me to prove in college football,” he said.
Thomas was twice named All-ACC. Listed at 6 feet and 228 pounds, he realizes he doesn’t have the size some NFL teams covet at linebacker.
“But it’s never stopped me from making plays before,” he said. “I just continue to rise every single level. I continue to make plays and prove people wrong.”
To Doeren, Thomas’ size shouldn’t be a concern. He calls Thomas a “baller,” one of his top player compliments, and said the same about defensive back Tanner Ingle, who was injured and did not participate Tuesday.
Thomas said not being invited to the NFL Combine “stung a little,” but added, “I had to re-think why I am where I am and what can help me get there.”
Moore wore No. 1 the past three seasons, an honored jersey in the Wolfpack program. But he’s ready for a shot at the next level.
“It was great being out there with my brothers one last time,” he said of Pro Day. “We decided we wanted to compete together and cheer each other on, and that’s what we did today.”
This story was originally published March 29, 2023 at 6:00 AM.
