NC State had seven players named to the Pro Football Focus All-ACC teams, including multiple first and second-team selections.  Pro Football Focus selects the team based strictly on film and game grades.

PFF: 2020 All-ACC Teams

Leading the way for NC State was junior Alim McNeill, a first-team pick.  McNeill was also named first-team All-American by PFF.

“McNeil played 87% of his total snaps at heads-up nose tackle this year, making his production nothing short of incredible. Only one player since 2014 has produced a higher PFF grade at 0-technique than McNeil’s 90.5 this season (former Mississippi State Bulldog and current Tennessee Titan Jeffery Simmons in 2017).”

Wolfpack junior center Grant Gibson and junior safety Tanner Ingle were  both tabbed second-team All-ACC by PFF.  Ironically, both players were left off all three of the All-ACC teams selected by the media, and neither were even honorable mention picks.

Gibson had the second-best overall grade (77.9), trailing just Notre Dame’s Jarrett Patterson, while also posting the second-best pass blocking and run blocking grade.  Gibson allowed just one sack on 444 pass-blocking reps all season.

Ingle had the fourth-best overall grade among all ACC safeties (76.4) and had the third-best run-blocking grade and second-best pass-rushing grade.  

Finally, sophomore tailback Bam Knight and junior wideout Thayer Thomas were third-team All-ACC selections, and senior Emeka Emezie and sophomore Ikem Ekwonu were honorable mention picks.