North Carolina State does not have the NFL numbers at quarterback that schools like Notre Dame, Purdue and Stanford have.
The Wolfpack have a short but distinguished list.
Start with Philip Rivers, the NFL’s sixth all-time leading passer. He played 17 seasons, mostly with the San Diego Chargers, and passed for 421 touchdowns. He threw for more than 4,000 yards in 12 of his seasons and led the led the league in passing in 2010. Pencil him as the starter on the all-time North Carolina State NFL team.
Next up is Roman Gabriel, the NFL MVP in 1969. He played 16 seasons, mostly with the Los Angeles Rams, and passed for 201 touchdowns. He led the league in touchdown passes in both 1969 (24) and 1973 (23) and went to four Pro Bowls.
Russell Wilson started at quarterback his first three seasons in college at North Carolina State before transferring to Wisconsin for his senior year. Wilson posted an 20-16 record with the Wolfpack, throwing for 76 touchdowns against only 26 interceptions. Wilson went on to win a Super Bowl with the Seattle Seahawks.
Erik Kramer played 10 NFL seasons with four teams, starting 67 games. But he holds the very unique distinction of being the only quarterback to win a playoff game for the Detroit Lions in the last 65 years. Kramer passed for 341 yards and three touchdowns to lift the Lions to a 38-6 NFC semifinal victory over the Dallas Cowboys in 1991.
And, finally, Jacoby Brissett is currently the starting quarterback of the Cleveland Browns. He’s in his seventh season with his fourth team. In his 44 career starts he has 42 touchdown passes against only 22 interceptions.
Here is North Carolina State’s all-time NFL team:
QB—Philip Rivers, 8 Pro Bowls, NFL’s #6 all-time passer
HB—Ted Brown, 8 seasons, 4,546 rushing yards, 53 touchdowns
FB—Alex Webster, 2 Pro Bowls, 10 seasons, 4,638 yards, 56 TDs
WR—Torry Holt, 7 Pro Bowls, 2000s NFL all-decade team
WR—Mike Quick, 5 Pro Bowls, 9 seasons, 61 TDs, 17.7-yard average
TE—Lin Dawson, 9 seasons, 117 starts, 9 touchdowns
T—Sean Locklear, 9 seasons, 92 starts
T—Chris Dieterich, 7 seasons, 49 starts
G—Jim Richter, 2 Pro Bowls, 16 seasons, 167 starts
G—Darrell Dess, 2 Pro Bowls, 12 seasons, 104 starts
C—Ted Larsen, 11 seasons, 88 starts
DE—Mario Williams, 4 Pro Bowls, 11 seasons, 97 ½ sacks
DE—Rich Carpenter, 7 seasons, 86 starts, 46 sacks
DT—Ray Agnew, 11 seasons, 98 starts, 23 sacks
DT—Darwin Walker, 9 seasons, 84 starts, 29 sacks
OLB—Vaughan Johnson, 4 Pro Bowls, 9 seasons, 13 sacks
MLB—Stephen Tulloch, 11 seasons, 959 tackles
OLB—Bobby Houston, 9 seasons, 76 starts
CB—DeWayne Washington, 12 seasons, 31 interceptions
CB—Perry Williams, 10 seasons, 18 interceptions, 2 Super Bowl rings
S—Adrian Wilson, 5 Pro Bowls, 12 seasons, 27 interceptions
S—Joe Scarpati, 7 seasons, 25 interceptions
K—Stephen Hauschka, Pro Bowl, 13 seasons, 264 FGs, 1,149 points
P—Johnny Evans, 3 seasons, 214 punts, 39.5-yard average
KR—Dick Christy, 67 punt returns, 4 touchdowns, 13.5-yard average
ST—Bill Cowher, played & coached NFL special teams, HOF head coach with Steelers