#tbt: Remembering a Special Draft for @PackFootball
4/30/2015 12:00:00 AM | Football
RALEIGH, N.C. - As the 2015 NFL Draft begins tonight in Chicago, a quick look back through the NC State archives brings back memories of the Wolfpack's top draft class in recent memory.
Although there was great excitement around Raleigh, there was not much drama when the 2006 draft began on April 29, 2006.  The night before it started, the Houston Texans announced that they had already signed Pack DE Mario Williams and would make him the No. 1 overall selection. To this day, Williams remains the only ACC player ever to be selected first in the NFL Draft (although that could come to an end tonight, as most mock drafts have the Tampa Bay Buccaneers selecting Florida State QB Jameis Winston No. 1 overall).
Williams' selection marked the fourth time in a seven-year span that NC State had a player drafted in the top-10.
Two other Pack defensive linemen would also be selected in the first round in 2006. Fellow DE Manny Lawson was the No. 22 pick overall by the San Francisco 49ers and DT John McCargo went four picks later at No. 26 to the Buffalo Bills. The 2006 draft marks the only time multiple Wolfpack players were selected in the first round.
Overall, NC State had six players selected in the 2006 NFL Draft. In addition to the three first round picks, LB Stephen Tulloch was selected in the fourth round by Tennessee, and S Marcus Hudson (San Francisco) and TE T.J. Williams (Tampa Bay) were both selected in the sixth round.
The six NC State players selected in the 2006 NFL Draft still stands as the school record for most players drafted in one season.
Since they were drafted, those five defensive players have combined to play in 494 NFL games and have accounted for 1,764 tackles and 130.5 sacks since their rookie seasons in 2006. Three of those players are still in the NFL, as Williams and Lawson are once again teammates with the Buffalo Bills, while Tulloch is coming back from an ACL injury with the Detroit Lions.