Five players to watch this spring for NC State Wolfpack football
Spring practices present excellent opportunities for football players to begin taking their games to the next level.
It is the first time back on the field since the fall, and a time to apply the lessons learned from the previous year to get ready for a new season that will be here sooner than you’d expect.
With that in mind, here are five players at NC State that we could see taking that next step in their development.
Cornerback Shyheim Battle
Battle certainly got his experience a season ago, starting all 12 games at right corner during his redshirt freshman season. The former four-star product of Rocky Mount (N.C.) High finished the year with 36 tackles, including a sack, and had an interception and team-high 10 pass breakups. His 11 passes defended was seventh most in the ACC.
The reason why Battle is on the list? The expectation is that the 6-foot-2, 183-pounder will go the next level in his development.
According to grades provided by Pro Football Focus (PFF), Battle was a steady performer in 2020. His game scores did not tend to deviate, especially once he got some experience. He had scores all below 60.0 in his first three games, and then in five of the next eight was above 60.0. His best score of the year came when he graded out at 68.3 in a 15-14 win over one-loss Liberty.
The bet here is that Battle makes a move from being a promising rookie to a more reliable corner.
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