The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1137844
154 ■ THE WOLFPACKER BY RYAN TICE F or the fourth time in the last eight NFL Drafts, another former Wolfpack signal-caller heard his name called, when Ryan Finley was tabbed with the 104th overall pick in the fourth round by the Cincinnati Bengals this spring. It's the next chapter in a historic run for NC State under center, dating back to Rus- sell Wilson's time in Raleigh from 2008-10. He was followed as the Pack's full-time starter by Mike Glennon, and after the 2013 aberration in Dave Doeren's first year, the quarterback tradition picked back up with a pair of transfers who are now in the NFL in Jacoby Brissett and Finley. Like Wilson, who finished his career at Wisconsin, Brissett and Finley come with asterisks in the eyes of detractors due to their time at other schools. However, Wilson was the only one who put up sig- nificant numbers and/or earned prestigious honors at a program other than NC State. Wilson was named first-team All-Big Ten and a third-team All-American (Yahoo! Sports) in Madison, but still accounted for 72.9 percent of his 11,720 college passing yards during his time at NCSU. Meanwhile, Brissett accounted for 92.1 percent of his 5,723 college passing yards in Raleigh, and Finley's ratio was even higher — 94.2 percent of his 11,147 passing yards in college came in the red and white. All four former Wolfpack passers were among the top six quarterbacks and first 104 overall picks of their respective drafts. During that eight-year span, if counting a quarterback towards any school where he officially took a snap, nobody can match NC State's total. Only nine schools have produced three drafted signal-callers during that time- frame — and all except USC have a similar transfer asterisk involved. Meanwhile, the Trojans' trio has combined for just 32 ca- reer starts in 10 professional seasons (13 of which belong to 2018 rookie Sam Darnold). Of course, the above results don't take into account for the Pack longtime NFL stalwart Philip Rivers, who in 2018 posted his highest completion percentage (68.3) since 2013 and most yards per attempt (8.5) since 2010. His 32 touchdown passes were just two shy of matching his career high set in 2008, while he surpassed 4,200 passing yards for the sixth straight campaign. It's tough for any school to match the Pack's young crop of signal-callers, but when Rivers is included it's near impos- sible. Only five schools can claim a pair of 2019 projected NFL starters under center as of mid-June, but none have the legacy of Rivers and Wilson at one school, where the two spent a combined seven seasons playing (not counting Wilson's redshirt in Raleigh) and set countless records. The closest is Cal, with the Packers' Aaron Rodgers and Rams' Jared Goff. Rod- gers, though, was a junior college transfer who spent just two years with the Bears, while Goff was gone after three seasons. Oklahoma's Kyler Murray (Cardinals) and Baker Mayfield (Browns) played five seasons for the Sooners, while both Texas Tech (where Mayfield played one season and started five games) and Michigan State (where the Jaguars' Nick Foles spent one season and threw just eight passes) both carry huge red-flag asterisks. Texas A&M, where Murray began his career and started three games, could also join the club if Ryan Tannehill wins the Titans' quarterback battle. Transfers are the reality with college quarterbacks in this day and age, and while those are certainly involved with the Pack's pro quarterbacks, no other school has played as big a role in getting field gener- als to the game's biggest stage as NC State — and in a near-impossible competition to decide, that's not debatable. ■ PACK PROS Behind Established Veterans And NFL Draft Success, NC State Retains The Quarterback U Crown NC State: The Cradle Of QBs QB Ryan Finley Jacoby Brissett Mike Glennon Russell Wilson Philip Rivers Draft Year 2019 2016 2013 2012 2004 Draft Slot Among QBs 6th 5th 3rd 6th 2nd Overall Pick (Round) 104 (4th) 91 (3rd) 73 (3rd) 75 (3rd) 4 (1st) Team Cincinnati New England Tampa Bay Seattle N.Y. Giants* * Traded to the San Diego Chargers on draft day Veteran Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers helped pave the way for NC State's string of NFL quarterbacks during his record-setting college career from 2000-03. PHOTO COURTESY LOS ANGELES CHARGERS