NC State Wolfpack football went 8-4 and won a program-record seven conference games in 2020.

The Pack finished tied for fourth in the ACC standings and defeated two ranked opponents. NC State also had 10 players that earned All-ACC honors, including two on the first team and one All-American.

Matt Carter and Justin H. Williams of The Wolfpacker individually ranked the top overall players on the team and combined the weighted results to come up with one ranking.

We assigned point values to each player based on the two separate rankings to come up with our combined order.

Each No. 1 vote earned 25 points, and the point total decreased by one for every placement below that. For example, a No. 2 vote earned 24 points, and a No. 25 vote earned one point.

The points of each individual ranking were added up to come up with the overall score.

Here is The Wolfpacker Top 25:

25. Trenton Gill, Punter (R-Jr.) — 4

24. Terrell Dawkins, Defensive End (R-Fr.) — 5

23. Devin Carter, Wide Receiver (R-So.) — 7

T-21. Christopher Dunn, Kicker (Jr.) — 12

T-21. Cecil Powell, Corner (So.) — 12

Gill, a former walk-on that was a third-team All-ACC selection in 2019 after leading the league in punting average, had a slight regression in 2020 but was still one of the best punters in the conference. Among ACC punters, Gill's 44.9 yards per kick average ranked third.

Dawkins made his presence known in his first season receiving defensive snaps. The 6-5, 255-pounder tallied 4.5 sacks, second-most on the team, and 9.0 tackles for loss, second-most on the defensive line. Dawkins had more sacks in 2020 than any other freshman in the ACC.

Carter was the Pack's third-leading receiver in 2020. He reeled in 29 receptions for 477 yards and two touchdowns. Although he caught three fewer passes than he did in his redshirt freshman campaign in 2019, the 6-4, 216-pounder gained 21 more receiving yards.

Dunn went 12-of-17 on field goal attempts, including a 2-of-3 mark from kicks over 50 yards. He was also a perfect 43-of-43 on PAT attempts in 2020. The junior placekicker has already made his mark in the NC State record books. He became the program's all-time leader for field goal makes when he connected on his 56th career make in the fourth quarter of the Georgia Tech win on Senior Day.

Powell finished his sophomore campaign with 47 tackles, four pass breakups, 3.5 tackles for loss and one forced fumble. He had the fifth-most pass breakups on the team and was the fourth-highest graded defender on NC State according to Pro Football Focus (PFF).

20. Shyheim Battle, Corner (R-Fr.) — 14

T-18. Vi Jones, Linebacker (R-Jr.) — 19

T-18. Ricky Person Jr., Running Back (Jr.) — 19

T-16. Drake Thomas, Linebacker (So.) — 20

T-16. Devin Leary, Quarterback (R-So.) — 20

Battle finished his redshirt freshman campaign with 36 tackles, 10 pass breakups, one sack and one interception. His 10 pass breakups not only led the team but also tied for the most in the ACC.

Jones was much more for the Wolfpack than a quality "fourth man" in the linebacker rotation. He was also the Pack's most valuable non-specialist player on special teams. His defensive numbers were still impressive considering he was a reserve for most of the season. Jones tallied 35 tackles, five for loss, three sacks and one forced fumble. On special teams, he also blocked three kicks, including two punts and the would-have-been game-winning field goal in the 15-14 win over Liberty.

Person received the most carries (147) of anyone in the running back room. He finished the season with 643 rushing yards and four touchdowns. He also reeled in 18 receptions for 136 yards. He gained 874 all-purpose yards in 12 games, good for second-most on the team.

Thomas tallied 58 tackles on the season, which was the fifth-most of the Pack. He also had the fourth-most tackles for loss (9.5), tied for second on the team with five quarterback hurries and had three sacks in 2020.

Leary was supposed to be the starting quarterback to begin the year, but a three-week quarantine in late August set him back enough to have to sit out of the season opener against Wake Forest. NC State went 3-0 in Leary's three starts, but the redshirt sophomore broke his leg in the Duke game which caused him to miss the remainder of the season. Leary finished with 890 passing yards and eight touchdowns with only two interceptions. He averaged 222.5 yards per contest and a completion percentage of 60.0.

15. Daniel Joseph, Defensive End (5th-Sr.) — 22

14. Jakeen Harris, Safety (So.) — 23

13. Tanner Ingle, Safety (Jr.) — 25

12. Tyler Baker-Williams, Nickel (Jr.) — 26

11. Bailey Hockman, Quarterback (R-Jr.) — 28

Joseph provided a much-needed veteran presence on a young but talented defensive line. The Penn State graduate transfer led the Pack with 6.5 sacks and had the most tackles for loss on the defensive line (10). He also had the most tackles of the position group (37).

Harris was the most consistent presence in the Wolfpack secondary and had the most snaps on the defense this season (852). He tallied the third-most tackles on the team (76), seven pass breakups, 1.5 sacks and one interception.

Ingle likely would have finished higher on this list had he not missed most of the season due to a combination of injuries and targeting penalties. He picked up his third targeting penalty of the year in the regular-season finale against Georgia Tech, which caused him to miss the Gator Bowl due to an automatic one-game suspension. When he was on the field, he was very effective. Ingle finished the 2020 campaign with 33 tackles, three quarterback hurries and two pass breakups despite appearing in just seven contests.

Baker-Williams was the starting nickel for a majority of the season, which is arguably the most difficult position to play on NC State's defense. He tallied 60 tackles, eight pass breakups, five tackles for loss, five quarterback hurries, 1.5 sacks and one interception.

Hockman ended up playing a majority of the snaps at quarterback in 2020 because of Leary's season-ending injury in the fifth game of the fall. The lefty quarterback threw for 2,088 yards and 13 touchdowns with 11 interceptions. Despite netting -22 rushing yards, he added three rushing touchdowns and caught one pass for a 31-yard receiving touchdown on a trick play in the Miami game.

T-9. Joe Sculthorpe, Offensive Guard (5th-Sr.) — 31

T-9. Grant Gibson, Center (R-Jr.) — 31

8. Thayer Thomas, Slot Receiver (R-Jr.) — 33

7. Cary Angeline, Tight End (5th-Sr.) — 34

6. Isaiah Moore, Linebacker (R-Jr.) — 36

Sculthorpe started in all 12 contests for the Wolfpack in 2020 and was one of the veteran leaders on the offensive line. According to PFF, he allowed three sacks and just two quarterback hits.

Gibson was the other veteran leader on the offensive line and also started all 12 games this fall. The redshirt junior center forfeited just one sack and two quarterback hits according to PFF.

Thomas was the Pack's second-leading receiver this season after a disappointing 2019 campaign. He reeled in 42 receptions for 529 yards and six touchdowns, which tied for the most receiving scores on the team. Thomas also returned punts for the Wolfpack and averaged 8.5 yards per attempt, which ranked fourth in the ACC among players with at least 10 returns according to PFF.

Angeline was NC State's primary receiving tight end and tied for the most receiving touchdowns on the team (6). The 6-7 tight end caught 27 passes for 412 yards in 12 contests and declared he was entering the 2021 NFL Draft at the conclusion of the season.

Moore was one of the Pack's team captains and wore the team's prized No. 1 jersey. He finished his redshirt junior campaign with the second-most tackles on NC State (94). Moore also produced the second-most tackles for loss (11), four quarterback hurries, three sacks, two pass breakups, one fumble recovery and one safety.

5. Emeka Emezie, Wide Receiver (Sr.) — 43

T-3. Ikem Ekwonu, Offensive Tackle (So.) — 44

T-3. Zonovan "Bam" Knight, Running Back (So.) — 44

2. Alim McNeill, Defensive Tackle (Jr.) — 48

1. Payton Wilson, Linebacker (R-So.) — 50

Emezie was NC State's leading receiver in 2020 and had his best statistical season to date. The senior wideout reeled in 47 receptions for 738 yards and five touchdowns. He led the team in receptions and receiving yards. Emezie announced earlier this month that he will return for an additional season in 2021 after the NCAA granted an extra year of eligibility to all fall athletes due to the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Ekwonu started in all 12 games and was a walking highlight reel on the offensive line, consistently delivering devastating pancake blocks that led to big plays. The 6-4, 325-pounder was the Pack's highest-graded run blocker but struggled with pass protection at times. He allowed seven sacks and five quarterback hits according to PFF.

Knight didn't earn the most carries of the running back rotation, but he certainly made one of the biggest impacts on the team of any offensive skill player. The sophomore tailback led the team with 788 rushing yards, a 5.5 yards per carry average and 10 touchdowns on the ground. He also caught 20 passes for 136 yards and took over kick returning duties in the second half of the season after he ran back a 100-yard kickoff for a touchdown in the Miami game, becoming just the third NC State player in program history to do so. Knight led the team with 1,297 all-purpose yards, 423 more than any other player on the roster.

McNeill was the highest-graded player in 2020 among Power Five defenders with at least 250 snaps according to PFF. The 6-2, 320-pound run-stopper totaled 26 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, one sack, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery and one interception that he returned for an 18-yard touchdown in the road win over Virginia. The morning of the Wolfpack's regular-season finale, McNeill announced he would enter the 2021 NFL Draft at the conclusion of the season and later opted out of the bowl game.

Wilson's 108 tackles this season not only led NC State, but he was also the ACC's leading tackler despite playing in just 10 games. The redshirt sophomore linebacker became the first Pack player to lead the conference in tackles since Levar Fisher in 2000. Wilson also led the team in tackles for loss (11.5) and interceptions (2). He also tallied 3.5 sacks, six quarterback hurries and one pass breakup. Wilson announced earlier this month that he will return for a fourth season in 2021.

1. Payton Wilson

2. Alim McNeill

3. Zonovan Knight

4. Ikem Ekwonu

5. Tanner Ingle

6. Emeka Emezie

7. Isaiah Moore

8. Devin Leary

9. Joe Sculthorpe

10. Cary Angeline

11. Grant Gibson

12. Thayer Thomas

13. Vi Jones

14. Jakeen Harris

15. Tyler Baker-Williams

16. Drake Thomas

17. Daniel Joseph

18. Bailey Hockman

19. Ricky Person

20. Shyheim Battle

21. Cecil Powell

22. Terrell Dawkins

23. Christopher Dunn

24. Devin Carter

25. Trent Gill

1. Payton Wilson

2. Alim McNeill

3. Emeka Emezie

4. Ikem Ekwonu

5. Zonovan Knight

6. Bailey Hockman

7. Thayer Thomas

8. Cary Angeline

9. Isaiah Moore

10. Grant Gibson

11. Tyler Baker-Williams

12. Joe Sculthorpe

13. Daniel Joseph

14. Ricky Person Jr.

15. Jakeen Harris

16. Drake Thomas

17. Christopher Dunn

18. Shyheim Battle

19. Cecil Powell

20. Vi Jones

21. Devin Carter

22. Tanner Ingle

23. Trenton Gill

24. Devin Leary

25. Terrell Dawkins

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