NC State Professional Athletes

NC State's NFL footprint is wide — 30-plus alumni scattered across the league — but this week, three Wolfpack names commanded the spotlight in very different ways.

Brissett Cashes In, Then Goes to Work

Jacoby Brissett's offseason got a whole lot cleaner. The veteran quarterback secured a new deal with the Arizona Cardinals and wasted no time shifting focus to the field, where he's been tasked with absorbing a brand-new offense. The Cardinals committed enough to Brissett to start him — along with the rest of their starters — in Thursday's preseason game against the Raiders, a signal that Arizona views him as the legitimate QB1 heading into the regular season.

That said, the leash isn't infinite. Rookie Carson Beck, a third-round pick, has drawn quiet praise from within the organization, with some in the building believing he has the tools to eventually become a starter. For now, though, Beck isn't taking Brissett's job — and Brissett, newly paid and newly settled, appears locked in on making that the case all season.

Hill's Return a Boost for Cincinnati's D-Line

Over in Cincinnati, the Bengals got encouraging news on B.J. Hill. The veteran defensive tackle had been sidelined on the Physically Unable to Perform list since before training camp while working through an ankle injury, but the Bengals activated him and returned him to the practice field this week. Hill's return is significant — Cincinnati's defensive line depth was already being tested after second-year pass rusher Shemar Stewart suffered a hyperextended knee earlier in camp. Getting Hill back healthy and active stabilizes a unit that can't afford to be thin heading into the preseason stretch.

Belton Holds Firm in Green Bay

In Green Bay, Anthony Belton is doing something deceptively difficult: keeping a job under competition. The Packers released their first unofficial depth chart of training camp, and Belton remained atop the right guard pecking order despite an ongoing camp battle for the spot. Packers fans appear to agree — in a recent poll, he still drew the most votes among supporters who want him to start. Whether that fan confidence translates to a Week 1 spot is still to be determined, but Belton's ability to hold serve through the competition speaks to the impression he's made on the coaching staff.

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Three storylines, three different teams, three Wolfpack alumni making their cases. For an NC State program that has quietly built one of the deeper NFL pipelines in the ACC, this week was a reminder of just how far that reach extends — from an Arizona quarterback room in flux, to a Cincinnati defensive front fighting through adversity, to a training camp battle in the heart of Wisconsin.

NC State's pipeline to the NFL is alive and well this preseason. From Detroit's defensive line to Los Angeles and Chicago, Wolfpack alumni are generating buzz — and in one case, a little heartburn — across the league in the opening week of camp.

McNeill Back in the Fold for Detroit

The best news out of Allen Park: Alim McNeill is healthy. The Lions nose tackle, who has been managing an injury, received a positive update during Detroit's training camp practices this week. A physically dominant interior presence, McNeill's availability matters enormously to a Lions defensive front that leans on his ability to eat blocks and disrupt at the point of attack. Detroit will take any good news it can get on the injury front, and McNeill being on track is a meaningful development heading into the preseason slate.

Daniels Steals the Show in LA — and He's Not Alone

Out in Thousand Oaks, the Rams camp has become something of an NC State alumni showcase. Receiver C.J. Daniels has emerged as one of the more surprising standouts of the early camp period, turning enough heads to draw comparisons to Mario Williams — another Wolfpack wideout who carved out an NFL roster spot with the Rams. Williams himself remains on the roster, so the two are effectively competing within the same alumni bracket. Whether Daniels can sustain that momentum into the preseason games will determine if the hype is real, but the early returns are encouraging.

The Rams' NC State contingent doesn't stop there: Dylan McMahon (C), Larrell Murchison (DE), Tanner Ingle (FS), and Jordan Waters (LB) are all in camp, making Los Angeles arguably the most Wolfpack-dense roster in the NFL right now.

Brissett Feeling the Heat in Arizona

Not all the preseason news is good. Jacoby Brissett's grip on the Cardinals starting quarterback job took a hit when rookie Carson Beck delivered a standout Hall of Fame Game debut that, by multiple accounts, cracked open a genuine quarterback competition in Arizona. Brissett, a veteran presence brought in to steady the position, now faces real pressure from below — a dynamic that could reshape his role before the regular season even begins. For Wolfpack fans who've followed Brissett's long NFL journey, it's a storyline worth watching closely as Arizona's preseason schedule unfolds.

Bradbury Finding His Footing in Chicago

In Lake Forest, center Garrett Bradbury is drawing positive notices at Bears camp. Chicago's offensive line is a unit under construction, and Bradbury — who signed with the Bears after his time in Minnesota — appears to be settling into his role as the anchor of that group. Early camp reporting has been encouraging, a quiet but important development for a team that needs stability up front to support its offensive ambitions this season.

With alumni stationed across more than a dozen NFL rosters — from Payton Wilson in Pittsburgh to Jakobi Meyers in Jacksonville to Bradley Chubb in Buffalo — NC State's NFL footprint remains as wide as it's ever been. But this first week of the 2026 preseason belonged to McNeill, Daniels, and the drama unfolding in the Arizona desert.