NC State’s Drake Thomas Continuing NFL Breakout

Before taking the field on Sunday, Thomas was already making an impact for the Seahawks. He earned the trust of the coaching staff and teammates and became the team's primary defensive captain for Week 10 in the absence of Ernest Jones IV, who sat out due to injury.

He earned the spot after taking over a starting linebacker spot back several weeks ago and continually making plays through the Seahawks' 7-2 start to the season. In the win over the Cardinals, Thomas flew around the field once again and blew up a fellow member of the Wolfpack, running back Bam Knight, for his highlight reel moment of the 44-22 victory over Arizona.

He finished the game with six tackles, including four solo tackles for loss. Since being inserted into the lineup as the top inside linebacker, Thomas leads that position with eight tackles for loss. He is also second among inside linebackers in passes defended with six on the season. He's only played four full games at that spot, but has seven starts on the season.

Across those seven starts, Thomas racked up 39 tackles, eight tackles for loss, three sacks six pass breakups and four quarterback hits.

Remembering Thomas in Raleigh

Thomas spent four seasons with the Wolfpack from 2019 to 2022. He was a dominant member of Dave Doeren's strong defenses during that time. He served as a captain during two seasons, taking over for star middle linebacker Isaiah Moore as the captain after Moore suffered an injury in 2021.

Thomas earned first-team All-ACC honors in 2021 and second-team honors in his final season in 2022. He finished his career with the Wolfpack with 293 tackles, 19.5 sacks and four interceptions in those four seasons.