NC State football players in the NFL Draft recap
Two NC State football players were taken in the NFL Draft.
All-American offensive tackle Ikem Ekwonu went very early, selected with the sixth overall pick by his hometown Carolina Panthers.
In the seventh round, All-ACC punter Trenton Gill was drafted by the Chicago Bears. Gill, who will receive his master’s in the spring, pinned 30 punts inside the 20 last season, nine more than any other kicker in the ACC. The former walk-on averaged 44.4 yards on his 65 punts during the season.
Gill’s career average of 45.8 yards per punt is a NC State football record, breaking Johnny Evans’ mark of 44.0 yards that has stood since 1977. He chose to turn pro rather than use a potential super senior year for the Wolfpack.
Gill should have a good opportunity to win a job with Chicago, who is searching for a new punter.
Five NC State football players also signed after the draft was complete:
Wide receiver Emeka Emezie – Baltimore Ravens
Emezie came back for a super senior season and made memories for a lifetime, most notably hauling in two late touchdown passes to stun UNC in a 34-30 win for the archrivals for NC State football.
Emezie also set a new school record for career receptions with 229. He had 2,895 receiving yards and caught 19 TD passes.
Linebacker Vi Jones – Seattle Seahawks
Jones bypassed an opportunity to return to NC State football as a super senior and instead turned pro.
Jones started the final five games of this past season and tied for a team-high six sacks while also finishing third on the team in tackles for loss with eight. His 12 quarterback hurries were the most on the defense, and he also blocked one of four kicks in his career. Jones’ 45 tackles were fourth most on the squad.
Running back Zonovan Knight – New York Jets
Knight chose to skip what could have been two more seasons of eligibility to turn pro. He had been one of three players on the NC State football roster to receive a NFL Combine invite, joining Ekwonu and Gill.
Knight was a first-team All-ACC selection as a specialist. He returned kickoffs for touchdowns for NC State against both Wake Forest and Syracuse and finished the year with an average of 34.4 yards on his 16 returns. That is the best mark of any Power Five returner.
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His career kickoff return average of 35.2 yards is also a new school record.
Knight was also honorable mention All-ACC as a running back after carrying 140 times for 753 yards and three scores and making 21 receptions for 156 yards. He finished his career with 419 rushes for 2,286, averaging a NC State football record of 5.45 yards per rush, edging out the mark held by Roland Hooks since 1974.
Knight’s 3,546 career all-purpose yards are 10th most at NC State.
Running back Ricky Person Jr. – Baltimore Ravens
Person made the decision to leave with a year of eligibility remaining at NC State. He rushed 135 times for 636 yards and five touchdowns while sharing duties with Knight. Person also caught 28 passes for 240 yards and a pair of scores.
For his career, Person had 455 carries for 1,979 yards and 14 TDs and 57 catches for 482 yards and four more scores.
Person joins Emezie in receiving a tryout with the Ravens.
Tight End Dylan Parham – Denver Broncos
Switching from quarterback to tight end has proven to give Parham a shot at the NFL.
Parham signed as a signal caller coming out of Southeast Raleigh High. He had to deal with injuries throughout his career, but Parham established a reputation as a physical blocker.
This past season, which Parham played as a super senior, he caught five passes for 22 yards, including his first two career scores at NC State.
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