Where NC State's Pack Pros are beginning the 2025 season on active NFL rosters

After winning four Super Bowls — and appearing in two more that he didn’t leave with a trophy — through his first nine NFL seasons between stints with the New England Patriots and the Kansas City Chiefs, former NC State Pack Pro offensive lineman Joe Thuney is set to embark on a new adventure. 

It wasn’t by choice, per se. Instead, after serving as one of the more-critical players on the Chiefs’ offensive line to make a third-straight trip to the league’s premier game moving from guard to tackle for the duration of the postseason, Thuney was shipped off to the Chicago Bears this offseason. 

Although he is not playing for one of the NFL’s premier powers for the first time in his career, Thuney is set to be an integral part of the Bears’ young offensive line. He signed a two-year, $35 million contract to make Chicago his new home for the foreseeable future. 

For Thuney, committing to the Bears was an easy decision once he arrived at Halas Hall and saw everything the franchise had to offer. 

“As the days rolled into weeks, you realize this is a special place, special building, special history here and the people in the building just make it even more special,” Thuney told ChicagoBears.com after signing his new contract. “Pretty early on I could just tell this is something I want to be a part of, something that I think would be really cool going forward.”

Instead of blocking for NFL legends Tom Brady and Patrick Mahomes, Thuney is set to keep 2022 Heisman Trophy winner Caleb Williams, the former Oklahoma and USC star quarterback, upright playing in the NFC North. 

While the Bears have a young quarterback behind Thuney, he has embraced being the veteran of the team’s offensive line this fall. Thuney is the only player on the front that is older than 28 — he’s 32 — while three of the five starters are 26 or younger.

“I always want to be available for the guys in the O-line room, whether it be plays or situations or time of year, anything really to talk about — just things I’ve seen, things I’ve been through— and then try and just get a routine with guys and work, whether it be after practice or after meetings or whatever,” Thuney said. “You just want to be a resource for the guys and kind of show my routine through the season, through the offseason.”

Though Thuney is the teacher of the group going into the season, the three-time Pro Bowler is focused on putting together another quality season fresh off his second All-Pro campaign with the Chiefs in 2024.

Pack Pros in 2025

There are more than a dozen former Pack Pros on NFL active rosters to begin the 2025 season. Here’s a rundown of all the former NC State stars looking to make an impact in the professional ranks this fall.

OT Anthony Belton (played at NC State from 2021-2024), #71 Green Bay Packers: NC State’s only draft pick of the 2025 iteration of the event, Belton was selected in the second round with the 54th overall pick. He was the lone rookie offensive lineman to make the Packers’ 53-man roster after training camp concluded.

C Garrett Bradbury (2014-18), #65 New England Patriots: After spending his first six NFL seasons with the Minnesota Vikings, Bradbury was released to look for a new home. The Patriots inked the center to a two-year deal worth up to $12 million. He projects to be New England’s starter this fall.

QB Jacoby Brissett (2014-15), #7 Arizona Cardinals: Brissett has made a career as an NFL journeyman quarterback. He is playing for his sixth different team in the last six seasons as the Cardinals signed the signal-caller to a two-year deal worth up to $12.5 million this offseason. 

OLB Bradley Chubb (2014-17), #2 Miami Dolphins: After he missed the entire 2024 campaign recovering from a torn ACL suffered in Week 17 of the 2023 season, Chubb is finally healthy and set to return to the field this fall. The pass rusher is just 0.5 sacks away from reaching 40 for his career. Chubb is going into his fourth season with the Dolphins. Chubb was named to be one of the Dolphins’ six captains this fall.

P A.J. Cole III (2015-18), #6 Las Vegas Raiders: The three-time Pro Bowler is going into his seventh season in the NFL, all of which have been with the Las Vegas Raiders. Cole has averaged 48.6 yards per attempt as a professional, including 168 punts inside the 20-yard line as one of the league’s more consistent specialists. He was named one of three captains of the Raiders this offseason.

OT Ikem Ekwonu (2019-21), #79 Carolina Panthers: The sixth-overall pick from the 2022 NFL Draft, the highest selected player of the Dave Doeren era, remains the Panthers’ starting left tackle after the franchise picked up his fifth-year option. The Matthews, N.C., native hopes to stay in Charlotte for the foreseeable future as the two sides work on a long-term extension.

DL B.J. Hill Jr. (2014-17), #92 Cincinnati Bengals: Hill is set to embark on his fourth season with the Bengals after he spent his first three NFL campaigns with the New York Giants. Cincinnati wants to keep Hill around for the long term as it signed him to a three-year, $33 million contract extension this past offseason. He is 30 tackles away from 300 in his professional career.

DT Justin Jones (2014-17), #93 Arizona Cardinals: After suffering a torn triceps in Week 3 last season, Jones attacked his rehab and recovery to get back on the field for training camp. He missed most of the preseason battling a knee injury as he enters the second season of his three-year, $30.1 million contract with the Cardinals.

RB Zonovan Knight (2019-21), #35 Arizona Cardinals: Affectionately known as “Bam,” Knight entered the preseason with the goal of making a 53-man roster for the first time since 2023 when he had a season-ending shoulder injury with the Lions. He impressed in his audition with the Cardinals, highlighted by a 67-yard touchdown run, to make the active roster with fellow Pack Pro Justin Jones.

DT Alim McNeill (2018-20), #54 Detroit Lions: McNeill will begin his fifth NFL season recovering from a torn ACL suffered in Week 15 of the 2024 season. The Lions expect the defensive lineman to make his return to the field in season.

WR Jakobi Meyers (2016-18), #16 Las Vegas Raiders: Coming off his first 1,000-yard season of his NFL career (87 receptions for 1,027 yards and four touchdowns in 2024), Meyers requested a trade at the end of training camp in search of a new contract. The Raiders had no intention of sending him elsewhere for the final year of his initial three-year deal in Las Vegas.

DT Larrell Murchison (2018-19), #52 Los Angeles Rams: Murchison is going into his fifth year of his NFL career after signing a one-year contract to stay with the Rams this offseason. The defensive tackle is coming off a career-best 16 total tackles in 2023.

LB Germaine Pratt (2014-18), #57 Las Vegas Raiders: After he spent his first six seasons with the Cincinnati Bengals, Pratt was released from the team in June. It didn’t take long for him to land with the Raiders, signing a one-year, $4.25 million deal one day later as he’s coming off a career-best 143-tackle season in 2024.

LB Drake Thomas (2019-22), #42 Seattle Seahawks: Thomas, who has been primarily a special teams player through the first 24 NFL games, appears to be in line for a key linebacker job with the Seahawks this season. He made the active roster out of training camp for the first time in his professional career.

OL Joe Thuney (2011-15), #62 Chicago Bears: Thuney, a two-time All-Pro selection, signed a two-year, $35 million contract with the Bears after spending the previous four seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs. He appeared in the last three Super Bowls as he helped anchor Kansas City’s offensive line.

LB Payton Wilson (2018-23), #41 Pittsburgh Steelers: Wilson was a breakout player for the Steelers in 2024 and he’s in line for a likely increased role going into his second NFL season. The former third-round pick posted 78 total tackles with a forced fumble, an interception and two fumble recoveries as a rookie.

QB Russell Wilson (2007-10, finished at Wisconsin), #3 New York Giants: The former Super Bowl Champion is going into his first season with the Giants after he signed a one-year $10.5-million contract in March. He is the team’s Week 1 starter despite New York drafting Ole Miss signal-caller Jaxon Dart with the 25th overall pick this year.

OL Chandler Zavala (2021-22), #62 Carolina Panthers: Zavala, a former fourth-round pick, is set to begin his third professional season with the Panthers with fellow Pack Pro Ikem Ekwonu. He appeared in all 17 games in 2024, but only made two starts.