Ikem Ekwonu poised to join exclusive group of NC State players
NC State star left tackle Ikem Ekwonu is about to join an exclusive club of Wolfpack players Thursday.
Ekwonu is expected to go in the top 10 of the NFL Draft on Thursday night, and he'd be the 19th NC State player to be drafted in the first round. That includes the USFL Supplemental Draft in 1985, and former star quarterback Roman Gabriel was drafted by both the NFL and AFL in 1962.
1962: Roman Gabriel, quarterback, Los Angeles Rams — No. 2 overall
The legendary Gabriel was an All-American for NC State in 1960, after going 105-of-186 passing for 1,182 yards, eight touchdowns and seven interceptions. He played for the Wolfpack from 1959-61 and went 285-of-506 passing for 2,951 yards, 19 touchdowns and 20 interceptions in his Wolfpack career. He was named the ACC Player of the Year in 1960 and 1961.
Gabriel played quarterback for the Rams from 1962-72, and then with Philadelphia Eagles from 1973-77, and he made the Pro Bowl four times. He went 2,366-of-4,498 passing for 29,444 yards, 201 touchdowns and 149 interceptions in 183 career games (157 starts). He also was the No. 1 pick in the 1962 AFL Draft by the Oakland Raiders, but picked the NFL.
Gabriel threw for a career-high 3,219 yards to lead the NFL in 1975 in his first year with the Eagles. He also led the NFL with 24 touchdowns passes for the Rams in 1969, winning the MVP. Gabriel also rushed 358 times for 1,304 yards and 30 scores.
1968: Dennis Byrd, defensive end, Boston Patriots — No. 6 overall
Byrd was named All-American by the media in 1966 and 1967 while at NC State. He was the first player in ACC history to be named first-team all-league three times and was the first consensus All-American in 1967. Byrd was on the ACC 50th Anniversary team, and he was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2010. He was part of the famed “White Shoes” defense and the Wolfpack allowed 8.7 points per game in 1967.
Byrd played one year for the Patriots and then retired due to a knee injury that he suffered while playing for NC State.
1974: Charley Young, running back, Dallas Cowboys — No. 22 overall
Young was known as one of the “Four Stallions” in the NC State backfield. He finished his NC State career with 317 carries for 1,657 rushing yards and 17 touchdowns. He helped the Wolfpack win the 1973 ACC title altering rushing 114 times for 661 yards and seven scores.
Young played three years with the Dallas Cowboys from 1974-76. He rushed 131 times for 638 yards and two touchdowns, and he caught 40 passes for 391 yard and a two scores. Young also returned 11 kickoffs for an average of 19.5 yards.
1979: Ted Brown, running back, Minnesota Vikings — No. 16 overall
Brown was a four-year standout for the Wolfpack from 1975-78 and amassed 860 carries or 4,602 yards and 49 touchdowns, plus added 82 receptions for 760 yards and two scores. He even completed 10 passes for 202 yards and a score. Brown tacked on 399 rushing yards in three bowl games, which aren’t included in his “final” stats, ending his college career with 5,001 yards.
Brown topped 1,000 yards his last three years, and finished sixth in the Heisman Trophy balloting in 1978. He rushed a career-high 302 carries for 1,350 yards and 11 scores that season. Many ACC backs took aim at Brown’s career rushing record, but between injuries or going pro early, the record stood the test of time. Clemson’s Travis Etienne finally broke it in 2020. Brown was on the ACC’s 50th anniversary football team in 2003.
Brown had his best year in 1981 with 1,063 rushing yards and 83 receptions for 694 yards and a combined eight touchdowns for Minnesota. He finished his NFL career (1979-86) with 1,117 carries for 4,546 yards and 40 touchdowns, plus 339 receptions for 2,850 yards and 13 scores in 104 career games.
1980: Jim Ritcher, center, Buffalo Bills — No. 16 overall
Ritcher was an unanimous first-team All-American at NC State in 1978 and 1979. He also won the Outland Trophy in 1979 for being the premier interior lineman, along with the ACC Jacobs Blocking Trophy twice.
Ritcher played for the Bills from 1980-93 and the Atlanta Falcons from 1994-95, and he started 167 of 218 games he played in. He was a Pro Bowl selection in 1991 and 1992 with the Bills and was an elite left guard in the NFL.
1982: Mike Quick, wide receiver, Philadelphia Eagles — No. 20 overall
The football and track standout at NC State caught 116 passes for 1,934 yards and 10 scores with the Wolfpack. He played from 1978-81 and appeared in 44 career games.
The smooth Quick played for the Eagles from 1982-1990 and made five Pro Bowls. He finished his career with 363 catches for 6,464 yards and 61 touchdowns. He led the league with 1,409 yards on 69 catches and 13 scores in his second season in 1983. That started a string of three-consecutive years where he had at least 1,000 yards.
1984: Vaughan Johnson, inside linebacker, New Orleans Saints — No. 15 overall in supplemental
Johnson became an All-American his senior year in 1983 for the Wolfpack. He had 144 tackles, four tackles for loss and three sacks. The previous year he had a stunning 167 tackles. Johnson finished his Wolfpack career (1980-83) with 384 tackles, 12 tackles for loss and seven sacks.
Maybe an asterisk can be included here, but Johnson became an established star with the Jacksonville Bulls after going in the 1984 USFL Draft. He then joined the Saints in 1986 after being a supplemental first-round draft pick of USFL players. He went on to become a four-time Pro Bowler and had 669 tackles, 12 sacks, four interceptions and 11 forced fumbles in his NFL career.
Johnson played with the Saints from 1986-93 and finished up with the Philadelphia Eagles in 1994. He topped 100 tackles three times.
1987: Haywood Jeffires, wide receiver, Houston Oilers — No. 20 overall
Jeffires played for NC State from 1983-87 and had 111 catches for 1,753 yards and 14 touchdowns in 40 career games. He caught a career-high 40 pass for 591 yards and four scores his senior year, plus added 67 yards and a score on the ground.
Jeffires became a star in the Oilers Run & Shoot offense and played with them from 1987-1995, and finished up with the New Orleans Saints in 1996. He led the NFL with 100 receptions for 1,181 yards and seven touchdowns in 1991, and earned three trips to the Pro Bowl.
Jeffires finished his decorated NFL career with 535 receptions for 6,334 yards and 50 touchdowns in 132 career games.
1990: Ray Agnew, defensive tackle, New England Patriots — No. 10 overall:
Agnew became a two-time All-ACC performer in both 1998 and 1999 for the Wolfpack. He was the league Rookie of the Year in 1986. Agnew ranks tied for ninth in NC State history with 17 career sacks and tied for third with seven career fumble recoveries.
Agnew played in the NFL from 1990-2000, playing five years with the New England Patriots, and three apiece with the New York Giants and St. Louis Rams. He finished with 451 career tackles, 22.5 sacks and two interceptions. Agnew and NCSU’s Torry Holt helped the St. Louis Rams win the 2000 Super Bowl. He had 64 tackles and a career-high five sacks in his first season with the Rams in 1998.
1994: Dewayne Washington, cornerback, Minnesota Vikings — No. 18 overall
Washington picked off nine passes and had 22 tackles for loss in 43 career games at NC State. Washington had 66 tackles and four interceptions his senior year. He also returned a pair of punts for touchdowns and led the ACC in that category in 1990 and 1992.
Washington played in the NFL from 1994-2005, spending his first four years with the Vikings, then six years with the Pittsburgh Steelers. He finished up with the Jacksonville Jaguars and Kansas City Chiefs his last two years. He had 807 career tackles and 31 interceptions in 191 NFL games (171 starts). He also found his way into the end zone seven times — five from interceptions and two on fumble recoveries.
1999: Torry Holt, wide receiver, St. Louis Rams — No. 6 overall
The NC State legend caught 191 passes for 3,379 yards and 31 touchdowns, plus 4,369 all-purpose yards in 40 games for the Wolfpack. He was a consensus first-team All-American in 1998, after catching 88 passes for 1,604 yards and 11 scores.
Holt played in seven Pro Bowls and played with the Rams from 1999-08, and finished up with the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2009. He finished with a staggering 920 catches for 13,382 yards and 74 touchdowns. He arguably had his best season in 2003, catching 117 passes for 1,696 yards and 12 scores. He topped 1,000 yards in eight-straight seasons. Holt and the Rams won the Super Bowl on Jan. 30, 2000.
2001: Koren Robinson, wide receiver, Seattle Seahawks — No. 9 overall
Robinson caught 62 passes for 1,061 yards and 13 touchdowns for the Wolfpack in 2000, and was named an All-American. He then entered the NFL Draft. He finished his two-year career with 110 receptions for 1,914 yards and 15 touchdowns in 22 career games (14 starts).
Robinson played in the NFL from 2001-08 among the Seahawks, Minnesota Vikings and Green Bay Packers. He caught 294 passes for 4,244 yard sand 16 touchdowns in 96 career games (70 starts). He had his best season in 2002 with 78 catches for 1,240 yards and five scores with Seattle. He also had 84 kick returns for an average of 24.6 yards per return and a touchdown as a kick returner, making the Pro Bowl in 2005 with the Vikings.
2004: Philip Rivers, quarterback, New York Giants — No. 4 overall
The ACC legend completed 1,087-of-1,710 passing attempts for 95 touchdowns and 34 interceptions, plus he rushed for 17 scores in his four-year NC State career (49 games). He was named the ACC Rookie of the Year in 2000, and league Player of the Year in 2003. Rivers went 348-of-483 passing for 4,491 yards and 34 touchdowns his senior year.
Rivers was traded from the Giants to the San Diego Chargers and played for them in San Diego or Los Angeles from 2004-19. Rivers capped his incredible NFL career with the Indianapolis Colts in 2020. Rivers participated in eight Pro Bowls and is sixth all-time in both passing yards (63,440) and passing touchdowns (421). He completed 5,277-of-8,134 passing for 64.9 percent and had a 95.2 quarterback rating.
2006: Mario Williams, defensive end, Houston Texans — No. 1 overall
The former Rivals.com four-star prospect is second all-time with 25.5 career sacks and second with 55.5 tackles for loss in NC State history.
Williams had 126 tackles in 36 career games (34 starts) during his three-year Wolfpack career and was an All-American in 2005. He had 67 tackles, 27.5 tackles for loss and 14 sacks that season.
Williams went to the Pro Bowl four times while playing in the NFL from 2006-16. He started 150 of 158 career games between the Texans, Buffalo Bills and Miami Dolphins. He had 399 career tackles, 121 tackles for loss and 97.5 sacks. He had at least 10 sacks in five different years.
2006: Manny Lawson, defensive end, San Francisco 49ers — No. 22 overall
The former Rivals.com two-star prospect is sixth all-time at NC State in career sacks (21) and fifth all-time in tackles for loss (41). He even blocked seven punts. Lawson had 178 tackles over his last three years (2003-05).
Lawson played in 143 NFL games with 110 starts while playing with the 49ers, Cincinnati Bengals and Buffalo Bills. He had 471 career tackles, 58 tackles for loss and 24.5 sacks. He played from 2006-2015, with his best statistical years with the 49ers in 2009 and Bills in 2013.
2006: John McCargo, defensive tackle, Buffalo Bills — No. 26 overall
The former Rivals.com two-star prospect from Charlotte Court House (Va.) Randolph-Henry High set a freshman record with 14 tackles for loss in 2003 for NC State. He played in 31 games (starting 30) and finished with 137 tackles, 31 tackles for loss and four sacks.
McCargo played in 44 NFL games, getting a start in 2009, while playing from 2006-11. He had 52 career tackles, six tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks while playing five years with the Bills and four games with Tampa Bay.
2018: Bradley Chubb, defensive end, Denver Broncos — No. 5 overall
The former Rivals.com three-star prospect played linebacker at the beginning of his NC State career, and morphed into a defensive end. He had 203 career tackles, 60.0 tackles for loss and 26 sacks in 49 career games (38 starts).
Chubb was first-team All-American his senior year, won the Bronco Nagurski Trophy and Ted Hendricks Award. He is the all-time leader at NC State sacks and tackles for loss. He had 73 tackles, 26 tackles for loss and 10 sacks his senior year.
Chubb has battled injuries with the Broncos, starting 41 games he has played in and missed a good chunk in 2019 and 2021. He has 144 tackles, 29 tackles for loss and 20.5 sacks, with one Pro Bowl appearance.
2019: Garrett Bradbury, center, Minnesota Vikings — No. 18 overall
The Rivals.com two-star prospect came to NC State as a tight end and ended up starting 39 of 48 games in his NC State career on the offensive line. He won the Dave Rimington Award for being the nation’s top center and was a consensus All-American.
Bradbury has started all 45 games he has played in for the Vikings, missing three games this past year due to COVID.
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