With NC State’s early signing class in the book, it’s time to dole out some early grades.

Here is a look at the marks on the offensive side of the football.

If you had asked at the outset of the recruitment of this class who would be the top target to watch on the quarterback board for the Wolfpack, the likely answer would have been three-star Aaron McLaughlin from Denmark High in Alpharetta, Ga.

It took a bit longer than anticipated, and with a detour of a brief commitment to Auburn, but McLaughlin ended up with NC State.

Physically speaking, it’s difficult to imagine a better prospect for the Pack. He has a combination of size, arm strength and athleticism that has the potential to make him an elite quarterback, and it's why he was a top target of SEC and ACC programs throughout his recruitment.

Grade — A.

Offensive coordinator Tim Beck likes versatile running backs that he can utilize in the passing game, and that is exactly what Demie Sumo from Willingboro (N.J.) High provides.

Sumo has a bit of former Pack All-American Jaylen Samuels in him. Like Samuels, Sumo seemingly has an instinctive knack for making plays and scoring touchdowns. Sumo had 21 scores on just 96 touches as a junior, and he is a dynamic threat offensively.

However, after not signing a running back in the 2020 class, the anticipation was that the Wolfpack would try to land two in this class. It once had a commitment from speedy Caleb McDowell from Leesburg (Ga.) Lee County High, but McDowell’s pledge did not last long and he’s now signed with South Carolina. He was the only high school player to flip on the Pack in this class.

Then there was four-star Will Shipley, the consensus top prospect in North Carolina from Weddington High near Charlotte. While there is no such thing as a “must-get” in football recruiting, Shipley hails from a family of NC State alums and represented a great opportunity to get a difference-maker on offense. Instead, Shipley ended up picking Clemson.

Hence, while NC State landed a good fit for its offense in Sumo, running back will have to be a priority in the 2022 class.

Grade — C.

NC State did not reach on any of its three receiver pick-ups, and all three were identified early.

Four-star Micah Crowell from East Forsyth High in Kernersville, N.C., has been on the Pack’s radar since he was a sophomore in high school. Three-star Jakolbe Baldwin from Richmond Senior High in Rockingham, N.C., earned an offer after a stellar performance at NC State’s summer camp in 2019. Three-star Julian Gray from Hopewell High in Huntersville, N.C., was a breakout performer as a junior and offered by NC State in January.

All three had multiple Power Five offers besides NC State, and all three have proven themselves on the big stage. Crowell was one of the top receivers on East Forsyth’s 4-A state title team in 2018. Richmond plays one of the toughest schedules in the state in 2019, and Baldwin’s best games came against some of the best teams in the state. Gray led arguably the toughest conference in the state in receiving yards in 2019.

They also get a bump in the grade for the versatility of the group. Crowell fits the mold of current NFL player Kelvin Harmon and current NC State standout Emeka Emezie as big, physical Wolfpack receivers. Gray, who has been timed at under 11 seconds in the 100-meter dash and sub-4.5 seconds in the 40-yard dash in combines, brings legit speed. Baldwin is a sure-handed, polished receiver with excellent quickness.

Grade — B+.

This was a position where NC State set up a deep board and it ultimately landed a package deal that it set up as a possibility in November of 2019 when it offered a duo from Swainsboro (Ga.) High — three-star twins Cedric Seabrough and Fredrick Seabrough.

The two bring pretty identical skill sets — good athletes with both being standout basketball players on a state-title winning hoops team at Swainsboro. Each play both ways in football and were productive.

The fact that they insisted on being a package deal at a position where it is not often colleges take multiple players at the position probably limited their options, but it’s noteworthy one of their finalists was Coastal Carolina, who is currently undefeated and ranked in the top 15 in the polls.

Grade — B.

NC State thus far has three offensive line signees who probably would be playing for another ACC program or some other Power Five team if they had not signed with the Wolfpack.

Carrollton (Ga.) High three-star guard/center Lyndon Cooper picked NC State over Syracuse. Three-star Thornton Gentry from Chapin (S.C.) High may have ended up at Virginia Tech if not in Raleigh and also had Power Five offers from Kansas State, Missouri and Syracuse. Three-star tackle Jaleel Davis from Richmond Senior High in Rockingham, N.C., was offered by Georgia Tech, Kansas, Maryland, South Carolina and Tennessee.

Add to that, NC State picked up a potential instant starter in grad transfer Chandler Zavala from Fairmont State University, a Division II All-American and potential NFL Draft prospect.

So, NC State ended up in a pretty good spot on the offensive line.

That said, NC State did miss on some key in-state targets during the process, including three-stars Yousef Mugharbil (Florida) from Murphy High, Diego Pounds (UNC) from Raleigh Millbrook, Colby Smith (Tennessee) from Rockingham County High in Wentworth and Michael Gonzalez (Louisville) from Sun Valley High in Monroe and two-star Zeek Biggers (Georgia Tech) from West Rowan High in Cleveland.

Grade — B-.

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