Legacy of Wolfpack Football Boosted by Super Bowl Representation
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RALEIGH — While NC State has been steadily focused on rebuilding the roster for the coming 2026 season, some former Wolfpack stars will be trying to bring more glory to the program at the professional level. Dave Doeren and the Pack have been one of the best staffs in the nation in putting unsung recruits into the NFL. Now, some of those recruits could hoist a Lombardi Trophy.
With the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots set to face off in Super Bowl 60 on Feb. 8, two members of the Patriots and one Seahawk played for the Wolfpack as young men. Who could bring Super Bowl glory to Raleigh with a win?
Drake Thomas carries linebacker legacy forward
Seahawks linebacker Drake Thomas is part of a line of talented linebackers to come through NC State under Doeren, even playing alongside another pair of greats in Isaiah Moore and Payton Wilson. The undersized defender took an unorthodox, underdog route to becoming a key member of a rising defense in the NFL, just as he worked his way up through the ranks at NC State.
Thomas' success and his mentorship from his time with the Wolfpack helped keep the lineage of strong linebacker play alive through Caden Fordham, who is looking for a similar opportunity at the next level. During his time in Raleigh, Thomas finished on multiple All-ACC teams and helped the Pack with 136 solo tackles across four seasons. The linebacker is already quite familiar with former UNC and current Patriots starting quarterback Drake Maye, as Thomas sacked him in the Wolfpack's 2022 win over the Tar Heels.
The Pack Patriots
Garrett Bradbury was a standout center for NC State from 2014 to 2018, making him one of Doeren's first recruits and first great projects. He started his Wolfpack career as a tight end before making the switch to the offensive line, where he became a Rimington Trophy award winner in 2018, the award given to the player considered to be the top center in college football.
The trenches have long been an area of great pride under Doeren, so to see one of his best offensive linemen still having success eight years after leaving the program likely brings the coach tremendous pride. Bradbury was another unheralded three-star recruit, falling in line with a stat Doeren provided. The coach said that as of 2020, the Pack was in the top-3 programs for sending three-star, or below, players to the NFL.
Cory Durden, a defensive tackle for the Patriots, might be the most surprising ex-Wolfpack player to reach the Super Bowl. Durden transferred to NC State after three seasons at Florida State, blossoming into a First-Team All-ACC player in 2021 and finishing on the Third-Team in 2022. Durden went undrafted after two years with the Pack, but has carved out a nice professional career since.
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Tucker Sennett graduated summa cum laude with a B.A. in Sports Journalism from the esteemed Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University. A former basketball player, he has gained valuable experience working at Cronkite News and brings a deep passion for sports and reporting to his role as the NC State Wolfpack Beat Writer On SI.
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