North Carolina State Wolfpack Top NFL Draft Prospects for 2012 and Beyond
84 George Bryan, Tight End, 6’5″ 265 RS Senior
Bryan is one of the more balanced tight end prospects in the draft, but he was arrested in 2010, so he comes with a very small red flag. He’s a player who has been extremely involved in the passing game ever since he stepped foot on campus, and now he has to transition to having a new quarterback with Russell Wilson in Wisconsin. Bryan has been a 1st team All ACC performer for two straight seasons and since he started six games his freshman year, he’s caught 93 passes, 13 of which went for touchdowns. Sort of reminds me of a Heath Miller type of player, a guy who can be very involved in the passing game and can help also as a blocker. He’s not the flashiest tight end prospect, but he can be dangerous as a red zone target and also help out a team that likes to run a lot.
52 J.R. Sweezy, Defensive Tackle, 6’5″ 295 RS Senior
Sweezy is currently nursing a broken foot he suffered in August, but he is an underrated defender and a captain of this defense. He’s really on the rise as he had 13 tackles for loss last year to go along with six sacks including five in the final four games of the year. At 6’5″ 295, he’s got the size to play in a 4-3 defense, but he could be an ideal fit for the 3-4 look. If he can prove when he comes back that his injury has not hindered his production from last season, then he can wind up on an NFL roster and possibly crack a rotation next year. At this point, he’s still a huge work in progress, but he has a chance to be a very solid player.
42 Audie Cole, Linebacker, 6’5″ 239 RS Senior
Known as a team-first player, and a decent athlete who can play multiple positions on the defensive side of the ball. Former high school quarterback and safety tied for the team lead with 97 tackles last season and led the Wolfpack with 85. Over the last two seasons, he has 18.5 tackles for a loss as well as nine sacks over that time frame. Also off to a very solid start in 2011 with 22 tackles in the first three games this year. Not overly fast and sometimes finds himself out of place, but is a pretty consistent tackler and has the size to be able to play in multiple defensive fronts at the next level.
8 Mike Glennon, Quarterback, 6’6″ 229 RS Junior
Glennon takes over for Russell Wilson at quarterback and has been pretty impressive thus far for the Wolfpack, throwing for 745 yards with eight touchdowns and a lonely interception heading into week four. Glennon was a highly touted quarterback prospect coming out of high school who likely will stay in school for his senior season so he can establish himself among the top quarterbacks in the nation. He’s got great size but is still a relative unknown to NFL scouts and draftniks. The nation will get a good look at Glennon when NC State takes on Cincinnati on Thursday night football.