Who will lead NC State in various statistical categories is always fun in August.
Categories such as leading tackler, team leader in interceptions, leading rusher, receiver with the most catches and wideout with most receiving yards are all up for grabs this fall.
The latest installment is who will lead NC State in sacks. This could be the most balanced category of all, but I'll still take a stab at it.
Who will lead NC State in sacks?
NC State junior linebacker Drake Thomas led the Wolfpack with six sacks last year, while playing both outside linebacker and middle linebacker. Defensive end Daniel Joseph was right behind him with five sacks, but he graduated this offseason.
Thomas would be the safe choice, but there is something about sophomore defensive end Davin Vann. He had four sacks last year when he started three games out of 12. He was in for 416 snaps, with a good chunk happening over the last four games.
Rivals.com had the 6-foot-2, 295-pound Vann as a four-star prospect coming out of Cary (N.C.) High. That is basically projecting him as a top three-round NFL Draft choice one day. This could be the year that Vann shows that kind of long-term potential.
NC State's 3-3-5 defense is built for the linebackers to make big plays, and both Thomas and outside linebacker Payton Wilson could supply them. But if Vann becomes a force at defensive end (or fellow defensive end Savion Jackson), that will take the defense to a different level.
Vann had full sacks against Miami (Fla.), Florida State and Furman, with half a sack against Clemson and North Carolina. I'm predicting he'll lead NC State with 7.5 sacks this season and eventually wear the vaunted No. 9 jersey after Jackson graduates.
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