• Highest drafted center in Vikings history and only 1st rounder.
• Named the Rimington Award winner in 2018, honoring the top collegiate center in the country.
• Started entire season at LG as a sophomore and then every game as a junior and senior at center for the Wolfpack.
OFF THE FIELD Earned degree in business supply operations management in 2017 and played the 2018 season as a graduate student...Was an Academic All-District selection as a senior and shared the Wolfpack award...Named Academic All-ACC each of his 4 years...Father, Tim, played football at Eastern Washington and Montana State...Grew up in South Carolina but attended high school in Charlotte.
PRO The only Vikings center to be drafted in the 1st round, going #18 overall...Is the 3rd NC State player selected in the 1st round by the Vikings, joining RB Ted Brown in 1979 (#16) and CB Dewayne Washington in 1994 (#18)...The previously highest-drafted center was Dave Huffman in the 2nd-round (#43) in 1979...Marks the 1st time an NC State O-lineman has been taken in the 1st round since guard Jim Ritcher by Buffalo at #16 in 1980...The selection gives NC State consecutive seasons with a 1st-rounder, joining DE Bradley Chubb to Denver in 2018, who the Vikings will face in the regular season at US Bank Stadium on November 17.
COLLEGE Made transition from TE to OL as a redshirt freshman in 2015...Started 39 of the 48 college games he played, including the final 39 straight...Capped college career by earning the Rimington Award as the top center in the country...Consensus All-America as a senior...Earned 1st Team All-ACC as a senior from conference and 1st-Team by media as a junior and honorable mention by the ACC...A semi-finalist for the Outland Trophy as a senior, the only center among the semi-finalists...Served as a team captain as a senior...Team went 9-4 as a junior and senior, ending season ranked #23 in 2017 following a win over Arizona State in the Sun Bowl...Played final college game in Gator Bowl loss to Texas A&M...Beat Vanderbilt to end sophomore season in Independence Bowl and lost Belk Bowl to Mississippi State as a redshirt freshman in 2015...Redshirted as a TE during first season in 2014...During final 3 seasons, he blocked for 3 different 1,000-yard rushers and protected the QB as he broke the 3,000-yard mark each year...As a senior, he paved the way for the Wolfpack to have a 1,000-yard rusher (1,091 by Reggie Gellaspy), 3,000-yard passer (3,928 by Ryan Finley) and a pair of 1,000-yard receivers (1,186 by Kelvin Harmon and 1,047 by Jakobi Myers)...During junior campaign, the Wolfpack’s RB Nyheim Hines broke the 1,000-yard mark (1,113), Harmon had 1,017 yards receiving and Finley threw for 3,514 yards...In his first season as a starter at guard, Matt Dayes ran for 1,166 yards and Finley threw for 3,059.
PREP Led Charlotte Christian to North Carolina Independent Schools Althletic Association state titles in 2012 and 2013 as a junior and senior...Standout TE an DE...Hauled in 12 receiving TDs as a prep, 6 of those as a senior...Ranked as #58 TE in the country by Scout.com and #54 by ESPN...Standout baseball catcher.
