The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1137844
108 ■ THE WOLFPACKER FOOTBALL PREVIEW 2019 Five Best Players 1. Bradley Chubb, Defensive End Chubb had a Hall of Fame career at NC State. He will surely be enshrined in the Wolfpack's hall, but is a good bet to find himself in the College Football Hall of Fame at some point as well. Chubb challenges former great Mario Williams as the best defensive end in school history. 2. Garrett Bradbury, Center It is difficult to stand out on the offensive line, which shows how dominant Bradbury was towards the end of his Wolfpack career. He was regarded as college football's best center in 2018, a proclamation vindicated by the NFL when the Minnesota Vikings used a first-round pick on him. Bradbury joins Pack legend Jim Ritcher as one of the best linemen in school history. 3. Jaylen Samuels, Tight End There were few players, if any, more unique to ever wear the red and white. Samuels could run, catch and even occasionally throw, and his high school coach at Mallard Creek, Mike Palmieri, swore that he would have been even better at linebacker. 4. Tony Adams, Offensive Line No player on offense or defense started more games over his career in the 2014 class than Adams, and for the past two seasons in Raleigh he was considered one of the ACC's best interior linemen. He may not have the glamorous awards or draft status to his credit, but few players in this class were more consistent over four years. 5. B.J. Hill, Defensive Tackle Like Adams, Hill was a rare starter as a true freshman in the trenches and was a stalwart at the unglamorous position of nose tackle. He may not have grabbed headlines like some of his other classmates, but Hill was the first of the three other Wolf- pack defensive linemen picked in the 2017 draft to get selected after Chubb and also the first to join him as a full-time starter in the pros. Recruiter Of The Class Winning highly contested recruiting battles can elicit excitement and pride, but ultimately what is important is that the player evaluations are proven right. In that regard, former Wolf- pack tight ends/fullbacks coach and special teams coordinator EDDIE FAULKNER hit a grand slam in the 2014 class. Faulkner was given the Charlotte area by head coach Dave Doeren, and in his first go-round in the region he unearthed gems, including two of the best to ever play for the Wolfpack in center Garrett Bradbury and tight end Jaylen Samuels, a pair of All-Americans whose names will be in the record books for generations to come. In addition, Faulkner landed guard Tony Adams, a four-year starter and two-time all-confer- ence member. One thing Adams, Bradbury and Samuels all had in common: none of them had another Power Five conference offer other than NC State. Adams' lone tender was from NCSU, while Bradbury and Samuels had a few mid-major options. It did not stop there for Faulkner. He was responsible for defensive tackle B.J. Hill, who picked NC State over an offer from UNC and is now starting in the NFL. Hill was not among the top 30 players in the state according to Rivals.com. Faulkner also signed two-star cornerback Mike Ste - vens, who was committed to Kansas State before the Pack offered late in the process. Stevens started 28 games for NCSU. Tony Adams was the rare true freshman starter along the offensive line, and finished his career as a two-time second-team All-ACC pick. PHOTO BY BILL PANZICA