Wolfpack football's five biggest athletic freaks

This week, Bruce Feldman of The Athletic released his annual list of college football’s most athletic freaks.

Two NC State offensive linemen made the list: sophomore left tackle Ikem Ekwonu (No. 58) and redshirt freshman offensive guard Dylan McMahon (No. 73). Unsurprisingly, both made The Wolfpacker's list of the top five freaks on NC State’s roster. The rankings are based on information provided by strength and conditioning coordinator Dantonio "Thunder" Burnette.

In in alphabetical order, here is the list of the top five freaks on NC State’s team, but first a note on the honorable mention pick: redshirt junior linebacker Isaiah Moore.

“He’s a freak in the weight room and also very explosive out on the football field,” Burnette said. “He’s a guy that has a high football IQ. That’s the thing that stands out with Isaiah … He’s a guy when he drops the hammer on you, you’re going to feel it.

“He looks like what a linebacker should look like.”

Burnette noted that the All-American candidate could be considered the best offensive lineman in the country.

“It’s shown through his freakish ability to be able to play in space and destroy defenders,” Burnette said. “His style of play is intimidating, and you can tell he plays with a high level of passion.”

Burnette is a big fan of former multiple sports preps athletes, particularly those who wrestled like Ekwonu did. Burnette also loves that Ekwonu played defensive line in high school and brings some of that mentality to his game on the field and in the weight room.

“He squats 535 pounds and he benches 415, and he’s a guy that can run,” Burnette noted. “He’ll definitely run 4.9 something [in the 40-yard dash], and ... when he goes to the NFL Combine, his run will definitely be just as fast as Garrett Bradbury.”

Bradbury, a former NC State consensus All-American and first-round draft pick, ran 4.92 at the 2019 NFL Combine, third fastest among offensive linemen there.

According to Burnette, Gibson is, pound-for-pound, the strongest player on NC State’s team.

He earned extra kudos from Burnette for being a consistently hard worker in the weight room. Gibson’s transformation has been noteworthy after he made the switch from defensive tackle to center, Burnette noted.

Gibson was the co-recipient of this past offseason conditioning’s Alpha Wolf Award, given to the player who shows leadership in the weight room, and the Iron Wolf Award, the honor given to the player who dominates the summer program in every aspect.

“This guy is a stud,” Burnette noted. “I think he’s going to go to the NFL Combine and kill it. He squats over 610 pounds. He benches 440, he cleans 352 pounds. That just says a lot about how strong he is as a player,.”

If you are looking for a potential breakout performer on defense, Harris may be a sneaky candidate.

“You don’t see guys walking around that look like Josh Harris,” Burnette noted.

Harris could make a case for being up there with Gibson as the strongest player on the team. He squats 615 pounds, benches 420 and also did 31 reps at 225 pounds on the bench.

More noteworthy is he has built his strength while losing weight to get in better shape.

“The crazy thing about Josh is he is big, but he’s not a guy that has a lot of extra body fat on him," Burnette noted. "He has dropped almost 40 pounds since last season. That just tells you how much work he has put in, and his strength numbers have still gone up.”

For some perspective, Harris’ total reps at 225 pounds on the bench press would have tied for fourth most among defensive linemen in the 2020 NFL Combine, the most recent one held.

Burnette could envision a world where Harris’s combination of strength and size at the nose tackle position makes it almost impossible for interior offensive lines to not double team him.

McMahon is a given to be on the list after also showing up on Feldman’s rankings. It’s not all about the strength numbers with McMahon, however.

“He’s super explosive, and it shows with a 31.5-inch vertical leap,” Burnette said of the 305-pounder. “He cleans 385 pounds. He barely missed a 400-pound clean. He went for it, and he had it and was going up and dropped it.

“Of course, he wanted to go again, but I told him he was done. He would have broken the school record. This guy has everything you want in an offensive lineman.

“I know he has the desire to follow in Garrett Bradbury’s footsteps. When Grant and those guys leave, there is no doubt in my mind he’s going to take another huge step in his development. … His strength numbers are going to continue going through the roof.”

McMahon’s vertical would have been eighth best among offensive linemen at the 2020 NFL combine.

A lot of analysts will praise Wilson for his size (6-foot-4, 235 pounds), physicality and aggressiveness on the field.

Burnette wants people to understand he is also freakish.

“He’s extremely athletic,” Burnette clarified. “He’s a linebacker that is very physical and is extremely fast. He hit 22.3 miles per hour during speed testing this summer when we were training, and he outran a lot of our DBs.

“I think when his opportunity comes to go to the NFL Combine and Pro Day, he’ll definitely run 4.5 [in the 40-yard dash]. He’s going to be a guy that lights up the scoreboard on the times that he puts down. He is that gifted and that athletic.”

Burnette added his appreciation of the fact that Wilson was also a standout wrestler and lacrosse performer in high school.

“He’s a guy that has a really unique skill set and the motor and passion to go with it," the coach said.

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