NC State football players taken top five overall in NFL Draft

If NC State football star left tackle Ikem Ekwonu is selected in the top five picks of the NFL Draft on Thursday in Las Vegas, he would become the fifth player in program history to reach that status.

Four have done so previously, and two more were very close to joining them. NC State football standouts receiver Torry Holt (1999) and defensive lineman Dennis Byrd (1968) were each picked No. 6 overall in the NFL Draft. Holt would go to have what could prove to be an NFL Hall of Fame career. A serious knee injury suffered during Byrd’s senior season playing at NC State limited him to one season in the NFL.

Here are the other four NC State football alums who have been picked in the top five overall of the NFL Draft.

Quarterback Roman Gabriel – 1962

Gabriel turned pro when there were two viable professional leagues — the NFL and AFL. Eventually the two merged, but each valiantly pursued Gabriel. He was taken No. 1 overall by the Oakland Raiders of the AFL and No. 2 by the Los Angeles Rams of the NFL.

Gabriel chose the Rams, the beginning of a successful 16-year career in the NFL, 15 of them as a starter, split between the Rams (1962-72) and Philadelphia Eagles (1973-77). He was the league MVP in 1969 and the NFL Comeback Player of the Year in 1973, when he was tops in passing yards and touchdowns thrown. Gabriel also led the NFL in passing TDs in 1969.

Gabriel was a four-time Pro Bowler and three times selected All-Pro, leading some to make a case that he should be in the NFL Hall of Fame.

For NC State football, Gabriel was a two-time ACC Player of the Year and first-team All-American. His No. 18 is retired.

Quarterback Philip Rivers — 2004

Rivers was taken with the fourth overall pick by the New York Giants, but he was not a member of the organization for long. The Giants quickly traded him to the then-San Diego Chargers, who had taken quarterback Eli Manning first overall. Manning had made it clear he did not want to play for the Chargers, so a deal was made to swap QB picks while San Diego picked up additional draft choices.

After two seasons backing up future Hall of Famer Drew Brees, Rivers took over as the starter in 2006 and held the job for 14 years before spending one last season with the Indianapolis Colts in 2020 and then retiring.

Rivers retired sixth all-time in NFL history in passes completed, seventh in attempts, sixth in passing yards, sixth in passing touchdowns and 12th in passer rating, making his own case for being a Hall of Famer. He was an eight-time Pro Bowl selection.

Like Gabriel, Rivers’ number (17) has been retired at NC State football. He was the ACC Player of the Year in 2003 and still holds most of the program’s major passing records.

Defensive end Mario Williams — 2006

No ACC player had been selected first overall in the NFL Draft until Williams was picked by the Houston Texans with the top choice in 2006, surprising observers who figured that USC running back Reggie Bush was a foregone conclusion.

Williams played six seasons with Houston, twice recording double-digit sacks totals and making the Pro Bowl twice while being All-Pro once. He then signed the richest contract for a defensive player in NFL history at the time, agreeing to a 6-year deal worth up to $100 million with the Buffalo Bills.

His first three years with Buffalo saw Williams reach double digit sacks every season and twice be named All-Pro while making two more Pro Bowls. However, in 2015 his production fell off and Williams was released. He played one more year with the Miami Dolphins before being done with football.

Williams finished his 11-year NFL career with 97.5 sacks.

Williams played three seasons for NC State football before turning pro early, and in that time set a school record for sacks. His No. 9 jersey is honored at Carter-Finley Stadium.

Defensive end Bradley Chubb – 2018

Williams’ record for career sacks at NC State football was broken by Chubb, who had a banner senior season for the Wolfpack. He was named the Bronko Nagurski Trophy winner for best defensive player in college football and was a unanimous All-American.

Chubb wore Williams’ No. 9, and now that number is honored for both players.

That big senior year propelled Chubb to the No. 5 overall pick in 2018, taken by the Denver Broncos who were surprised to see Chubb there.

He started his NFL career with a bang, totaling 12 sacks as a rookie. A knee injury limited Chubb to four games the following year, but he bounced back in 2020 to make the Pro Bowl after having 7.5 sacks in 14 contests.

Last season was another injury-riddled campaign that held Chubb to just seven games.

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