NC State’s linebacker corps is the undoubted, on paper, strength of the defense. Athlon’s had it the second best unit at that position in the ACC behind only Clemson’s and eighth nationally.

It is notably led by redshirt sophomore Payton Wilson, the first NC State defender since Levar Fisher in 2000 to lead the ACC in tackles (108 for Wilson in 10 games in 2020), and redshirt junior Isaiah Moore, widely considered the heart and soul of the defense.

Then there is returning starter Drake Thomas, a sophomore, and valuable reserve redshirt junior Vi Jones.

Thomas, who was third on the team with 9.5 tackles for loss last fall and fifth in tackles with 58, noted it is a unit that has built chemistry over time.

“We’ve become pretty close together over the past two years, just continue to build that bond that we have,” Thomas noted. ”We just know how every single one of us is going to react to certain things on the field, so it’s easy to bounce off of each other and understand where we’re all coming from.

“We feed off each other based on that.”

According to Thomas, it starts with Moore in the middle. Moore was second on the team with 94 tackles last year and also second to Wilson’s 11.5 tackles for loss with 11 himself.

“Zay is super smart,” Thomas said of Moore. “Before the plays he’s talking, letting us know what he’s seeing. I’m taking in what he’s seeing, evaluating what I’m seeing. Payton’s doing the same things.

“Zay gets us started.”

Then Wilson with his naturally freakish athletic ability is the ballhawk. In addition to piling up his tackles last year, Wilson also had two interceptions.

“We know he’s going to get to the ball,” Thomas noted. “He’s going to play hard. He’s going to be where he needs to be.”

Thomas believes he has established himself as the trustworthy linebacker.

“I think they both entrust me to be where I need to be in the play,” Thomas said. “A lot of times I’m feeding the play back to them and setting the edge. They can really trust me to do that.”

Then there is Jones, a good athlete himself and also a special teams standout that blocked three kicks a year ago. Jones had 35 tackles, including five for loss and three sacks, in mainly reserve in 2020. Thomas noted that Jones can do a little bit of everything.

“Vi is really versatile,” Thomas said. “He brings a lot to the table that we might not. If you put him out there, you kind of get a different feel for what he’s trying to do. He can obviously rush the passer. He can cover. He can play the run, too.

“He’s really versatile, and he’s good at what he does.”

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