Pack Pros: How NC State’s NFL players fared in the 2025 regular season

The NFL playoffs have arrived after the regular season concluded this past weekend. NC State’s Pack Pros put together a handful of standout efforts throughout the fall, highlighted by star linebacker Payton Wilson leading the Pittsburgh Steelers in total tackles. 

Here’s a look at how the Wolfpack’s NFL players fared during the 2025 campaign.

Pack Pros: End of regular season

OT Anthony Belton (played at NC State from 2021-2024), #71 Green Bay Packers: Belton made seven total starts (one at right tackle, six at right guard) in his rookie regular season. He started each of the last half dozen games on the Packers’ line, playing a total of 487 offensive snaps. Belton allowed 23 quarterback pressures, which led to 21 hurries and two hits without a sack. Green Bay is set to play the Chicago Bears on Saturday night during Wild Card Weekend.

C Garrett Bradbury (2014-18), #65 New England Patriots: Bradbury, a veteran center, started every regular season game for the New England Patriots. He allowed just 20 quarterback pressures, which led to 16 hurries and four hits without a sack of star quarterback Drake Maye. Bradbury allowed just three total quarterback pressures over the final six games as he hit his stride. New England is set to play the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday night during Wild Card Weekend.

QB Jacoby Brissett (2014-15), #7 Arizona Cardinals: Brissett posted 3,366 yards with 23 touchdowns and eight interceptions on a 64.9 percent completion rate in 14 games played with the Cardinals. He also accounted for 38 carries for 168 yards and a touchdown. The journeyman signal-caller spent most of the season as Arizona’s starter with Kyler Murray getting injured early in the season and he did not return to action this fall. Arizona missed the playoffs with a 3-14 record in the 2025 campaign.

OLB Bradley Chubb (2014-17), #2 Miami Dolphins: Chubb recorded 47 total tackles with 8.5 sacks, two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery in his return from a devastating knee injury that forced him to miss the 2024 season. The standout defensive end logged one multi-sack performance in the penultimate game of the regular season against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Miami missed the playoffs with a 7-10 record.

P A.J. Cole III (2015-18), #6 Las Vegas Raiders: Cole logged 71 punts for 3,379 yards, an average of 47.6 per attempt, with 24 kicks inside the 20-yard line and just four touchbacks this season. His 5.63 touchback percentage marked Cole’s third-lowest of his seven-year NFL career so far. Las Vegas missed the playoffs after finishing with a 3-14 record.

DL Cory Durden (2021-22), #94 New England Patriots: Durden logged a career-best 30 total tackles in his first full NFL season. He spent his first two campaigns with the Los Angeles Rams and New York Giants, respectively, on their practice squads and played four games each. Now, he’s coming off a 17-game regular season in which he logged an appearance in every game. Durden started four of the last five games of the campaign on the defensive front, racking up a total of 17 pressures across all of his appearances. New England is set to play the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday night during Wild Card Weekend.

OT Ikem Ekwonu (2019-21), #79 Carolina Panthers: Ekwonu started 15 games at left tackle for the Carolina Panthers in the regular season. He allowed 40 total quarterback pressures, which led to 29 hurries, six hits and five sacks, in his fourth NFL season. Carolina is set to host the Los Angeles Rams on Saturday afternoon of Wild Card Weekend.

DL B.J. Hill Jr. (2014-17), #92 Cincinnati Bengals: Hill posted 66 total tackles with four sacks in his eighth NFL season. Hill capped the regular season with a sack against the Cleveland Browns in Week 18. He finished the year with 29 quarterback pressures forced, which led to 18 hurries, six hits and the four sacks. Cincinnati missed the playoffs with a 6-11 record.

S Tanner Ingle (2018-22), #34 Los Angeles Rams: Ingle spent most of the season on the Rams’ practice squad, but he was promoted to the active roster in three separate games. He logged 43 special teams snaps and three plays on defense this season. Ingle posted two total tackles in the 2025 regular season. Los Angeles is set to visit the Carolina Panthers on Saturday afternoon in Wild Card Weekend.

DT Justin Jones (2014-17), #93 Arizona Cardinals: Jones was placed on the Cardinals’ injured reserve with a knee injury in August. He did not play in the 2025 campaign.

RB Zonovan Knight (2019-21), #35 Arizona Cardinals: Knight was placed on season-ending injured reserve due to an ankle injury suffered in Week 15. But before he was shut down for the season, Knight posted 82 carries for 269 yards and a career-most four rushing touchdowns, while he added 22 receptions for 31 yards and a score in his return to the NFL active roster after not playing on one in 2024. The tailback appeared in a career-most 12 games in his third professional season on an active roster with the Cardinals alongside Pack Pro quarterback Jacoby Brissett. Arizona missed the playoffs with a 3-14 record in the 2025 campaign.

OL Tim McKay (2019-2024), #68 Washington Commanders: McKay did not appear in a regular season game while he spent the entire campaign on the Commanders practice squad. Washington missed the playoffs with a 5-12 overall record.

OL Dylan McMahon (2019-23), #63 Los Angeles Rams: McMahon did not appear in a regular season game while he spent the entire campaign on the Rams practice squad. Los Angeles is set to visit the Carolina Panthers on Saturday afternoon in Wild Card Weekend.

DT Alim McNeill (2018-20), #54 Detroit Lions: McNeill posted 14 total tackles with one sack and a forced fumble in 10 appearances in his return from a season-ending knee injury. He logged 23 quarterback pressures this year, including a season-most seven against the Green Bay Packers in Week 13. Detroit missed the playoffs with a 9-8 overall record.

WR Jakobi Meyers (2016-18), #3 Jacksonville Jaguars: Meyers logged 75 receptions for 835 yards and three total touchdowns in the regular season between his seven games with the Las Vegas Raiders and nine with the Jaguars. Meyers hit his stride with Jacksonville, recording 42 catches for 483 yards and three touchdowns in his final nine regular season games. The Jaguars are set to play the Buffalo Bills on Saturday afternoon in Wild Card Weekend.

DT Larrell Murchison (2018-19), #52 Los Angeles Rams: Murchison recorded eight total tackles and two sacks in 16 appearances with the Rams after not playing in the 2024 campaign. Los Angeles is set to visit the Carolina Panthers on Saturday afternoon in Wild Card Weekend.

LB Germaine Pratt (2014-18), #53 Indianapolis Colts: Pratt posted 126 total tackles with one forced fumble, two recoveries and an interception in 16 total appearances between his time with the Raiders and Colts. He broke out with 101 tackles across the last 12 games of the season with Indianapolis. The Colts missed the playoffs with an 8-9 overall record.

QB Philip Rivers (2000-2004), #17 Indianapolis Colts: After spending the last five years coaching at Fairhope (Ala.) St. Michael Catholic, Rivers made his return to the field as an emergency quarterback option for the Colts. He threw for 544 yards with four touchdowns and three interceptions on a 63 percent completion rate in his three starts. Indianapolis missed the playoffs with an 8-9 overall record.

DL Kentavius Street (2014-17), #93 Atlanta Falcons: Street logged 21 total tackles – his most since the 2022 campaign – with two sacks across seven games in his third season with the Falcons. 

LB Drake Thomas (2019-22), #42 Seattle Seahawks: Thomas posted a career-high 96 total tackles with 3.5 sacks, a fumble recovery and an interception in 17 games with the Seahawks. The linebacker’s breakout year came after he earned the start in each of the final 14 games at weakside linebacker. Seattle earned the No. 1 seed in the NFC playoffs with a 14-3 overall record.

OL Joe Thuney (2011-15), #62 Chicago Bears: Thuney started every regular season game at left guard for the Bears. He was a standout pass-blocking offensive lineman with just 15 pressures allowed, which led to 14 hurries and one hit. Thuney did not allow a sack the entire season, just the second campaign of his 10-year NFL career that he accomplished that feat. Chicago is set to play the Green Bay Packers on Saturday night during Wild Card Weekend.

LB Payton Wilson (2018-23), #41 Pittsburgh Steelers: Wilson logged a career-best 126 total tackles with two sacks, a fumble recovery, an interception and two passes defended in his second NFL campaign. He logged four double-digit tackle efforts, including a pair of 14-tackle performances, to finish the regular season as the Steelers’ leading tackler. Pittsburgh is set to face off with the Houston Texans on Monday Night Football in Wild Card Weekend.

QB Russell Wilson (2007-10, finished at Wisconsin), #3 New York Giants: Wilson threw for 831 yards with three touchdowns and three interceptions on a 58 percent completion rate in six appearances with the Giants. He was benched in favor of rookie Jackson Dart and spent the rest of the campaign with a 4-13 overall record.

OL Chandler Zavala (2021-22), #62 Carolina Panthers: Zavala logged five starts in six appearances at right guard before being placed on the Panthers’ injured reserve with a calf injury. He allowed nine quarterback pressures, which led to five hurries, two hits and two sacks, this past fall. Carolina is set to host the Los Angeles Rams on Saturday afternoon of Wild Card Weekend.