Eleven #PackPros Ready for 2023 NFL Playoffs

RALEIGH, N.C. – Eleven former #PackPros are on the road to the 2023 NFL playoffs.

Three former NC State stars will be on the field this weekend when the second-seeded Buffalo Bills take on the visiting, seventh-seeded Miami Dolphins in an AFC Wildcard matchup on Sunday.

Five-year NFL veteran Nyheim Hines will be coming off of a career day in Week 18 after producing two kickoff return touchdowns in the Bills 35-23 win against the New England Patriots. The 26-year-old Garner product became just the 11th player in NFL history to record two kickoff return touchdowns in the same game.

Hines has produced 554 yards on 19 kickoff returns with two touchdowns in 2023 and caught five passes for 53 yards and one score out of the backfield.

On the opposing sideline – suiting up for the Miami Dolphins, will be two other former Wolfpack greats. Bradley Chubb, who has recorded three tackles, two-and-a-half sacks and one forced fumble in eight games since being traded from the Broncos, and former Pack quarterback Mike Glennon, who recently signed to the practice squad due to injuries in their quarterback room. He served as the backup in Week 18.

Former NC State offensive lineman Joe Thuney will be suiting up in the NFL playoffs with the Kansas City Chiefs for a second straight season. Thuney played in and started 15 games during the regular season in his second year with the team.The 30-year-old has participated in the playoffs in six out of the seven seasons in which he has played. He won two Super Bowls during a five-year career with the New England Patriots before signing with the Chiefs in 2021.

Thuney and the Chiefs will be observers of Wild Card Weekend, as they clinched the top seed in the AFC and a first-round bye after a Week 18 win against Las Vegas.

Thuney's accomplishments didn't stop at making the playoffs, as he earned Pro Bowl honors for the first time in his career. He is one of seven Chiefs to make the Pro Bowl roster in 2023.

Defensive tackle B.J. HIll and linebacker Germaine Pratt, who were roommates and teammates at NC State, will be gearing up for the third-seeded Cincinnati Bengals when they host the sixth-seeded Baltimore Ravens on Sunday. Hill, a five year NFL veteran, is in his second season with Cincinnati. He recorded 24 tackles, three sacks and one forced fumble in sixteen games in 2022. Pratt remained a steady defensive presence behind his former teammate, producing 40 tackles, two interceptions, one sack and one forced fumble in his fourth NFL season.

The pair of former Wolfpack stars are looking to return to the Super Bowl for a second straight season after losing the big game to the Rams to conclude the 2021 campaign.

After missing time for a back injury, former Wolfpack center and Minnesota Vikings starter Garrett Bradbury will look to make his return in the postseason when the third-seeded Vikings take on the sixth-seeded New York Giants on January 15. The 27-year-old lineman has been sidelined since Week 14 after starting all 13 previous games at center for the Vikings in his fourth pro season.

The second-seeded San Francisco 49ers will look to advance past the Wild Card round as they battle the seventh-seeded Seattle Seahawks on Saturday. This game will contain four former Wolfpack players, a pair on each team.

Seven-year NFL veteran T.Y. McGill will be looking to stop a potent Seattle offense. The former Wolfpack defensive lineman accumulated five tackles in nine games this season. Dontae Johnson, a former NC State defensive back, is in his ninth NFL season. He has spent all nine years in San Francisco and is currently recovering from a torn ACL suffered in Week 14.

Former NC State safety and six-year NFL veteran Josh Jones will be looking to pull an upset when his team visits the Bay this weekend. He has accumulated 21 tackles throughout the 2022 season. Rookie linebacker Vi Jones was signed by Seattle in May as an undrafted free agent and has spent time between the practice squad and active roster throughout the season.

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