Commitment analysis: De'Von Graves

NC State has already gotten a jumpstart on its 2018 class, picking up a verbal commitment from Appomattox (Va.) County High two-way standout De’Von Graves after its annual Kay Yow Spring Game this past Saturday afternoon.

The 6-foot-2, 180-pound Graves caught 27 passes for 539 yards and six touchdowns from his receiver position, and had 50 total tackles (32 solo), two interceptions, 19 pass breakups, two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery at defensive back. He also had two tackles for losses. Appomattox went 15-0 and won the Group 2A title.

Graves saved some of his best for last, catching six passes for 120 yards in the championship game win over Berryville (Va.) Clarke County High.

During his freshman year, Graves had 12 catches for 202 yards and two scores, and added 27 tackles, five interceptions (one of which he returned for a score) and seven pass breakups.

Here is an analysis of his commitment.

The Class

One interesting factoid about Graves: when he became the first commitment of the 2018 class he also became the first out-of-state player to break the ice on a particular recruiting class since head coach Dave Doeren was hired.

In the 2014 class, Doeren’s first full collection, Charlotte receiver Bo Hines was first to commit to NC State. In the next cycle, Hines’ old teammate at Charlotte Catholic, offensive tackle Philip Walton, did the honors. Among the class that just signed, interior offensive lineman Harrison Gee from Williams High in Burlington was first to pick NC State.

Last summer, cornerback Chris Ingram from Mooresville High became the first pledge in the 2017 class.

Graves also broke Gee and Ingram’s record for earliest commitment under Doeren (both committed on July 25 in the summer before his junior season).

The Player

Graves told The Wolfpacker that he is being recruited as an athlete, getting his preference to play either receiver or corner. It is easy to see why NC State would be appealed by either the offensive or defensive version of Graves.

However, Graves said his preference, at least for now, is to play defense. He has been listed at both 6-foot-1 and 6-foot-2 and around 180 pounds, so the prospect of him playing corner with that kind of length would probably be our first choice, too.

He shows good ball skills on both sides of the ball on film, and we liked his turn and recognition abilities on defense. The best thing about Graves, though, is he simply makes plays.

That is where is starts: being big enough, fast enough and productive enough. Graves seems to check off all three boxes (he reportedly runs the 40-yard dash in 4.53 seconds).

The Team

It’s simply too early at this stage to gauge Graves’ impact on the team, but it should be noted that at either receiver or corner, NC State is not expected to take large numbers in 2017. That could mean that they will be higher priorities in Graves' 2018 class.