NC State Cornerback Shyheim Battle has received an invitation from the New York Jets to participate in their Rookie Mini Camp. NC State’s Shyheim Battle has been invited to rookie mini camp with the Jets with the opportunity to earn a priority free agent contract. #ncstate #NFLDraft #wpn — Pat Welter WRAL (@PatrickWelter) April 28, […] The post NC State CB Shyheim Battle Receives Invitation to Jets Rookie Mini Camp appeared first on Pack Insider.

NC State Nickel Robert Kennedy III has signed an Undrafted Free Agent Deal with the Los Angeles Chargers. Kennedy III won’t be without a friend. He will be joined by Defensive End Savion Jackson, who also signed an Undrafted Free Agent deal. Kennedy started for the Wolfpack in every single game this season at Nickelback, […] The post NC State DB Robert Kennedy III Signs Undrafted Free Agent Deal with the Bolts appeared first on Pack Insider.

Photo by Michael Wade/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images The receiver is set to begin his pro career. It’s the dream of every player in college to hear your name called at your sport’s draft, and that dream has come true for Tez Walker. He heard his name called by the Baltimore Ravens in the fourth round of the 2024 NFL Draft. Walker’s road to the draft was a rocky one. He was first meant to go to East Tennessee State in 2019 but suffered an ACL tear mere months before arriving on campus. He took the year to heal, and looked to restart football closer to his Charlotte home at North Carolina Central in 2020. However, the COVID 19 pandemic came through, cancelling spring practice and football at NC Central until 2021, where he went through their spring game. Before actually playing a down, though, he left NC Central to finally retake the field in the fall of 2021 for Kent State. It was that path that would ultimately create problems. After his 2022 season at Kent State where he stood out as a receiver for his downfield ability, his coach left to join Deion Sanders’ staff at Colorado and he looked to use the transfer portal to star at a P5 school. When his home state Tar Heels offered, he jumped at the chance to catch passes from a potential Heisman and for sure first round draft pick in Drake Maye. The thought was that since he never actually played for NCCU, he wouldn’t have a problem getting a waiver to play. We all know how that ended up, and the ensuing uproar led to multiple weeks of complaints, cries for change, and ultimately legal action threatened by people including the Attorney General of North Carolina. The NCAA relented, and Walker was able to play in eight games, racking up 699 yards, seven touchdowns, and quickly became the primary target of the defense at the end of the season. One could argue Walker was the first real crack in the wall of the NCAA limiting transfers, as ultimately states would sue the NCAA over other players, and it led to players being able to transfer as much as they want. Last week, the NCAA made it official, and one can’t help but to wonder what it would have been for Walker had that rule been in place one year earlier. Regardless, Walker now takes the next step and despite the rough patches, you can’t help but to be happy for someone who went from an ACL injury and two years off the field to getting drafted in the pros. Congratulations, Tez!

Photo by Todd Rosenberg/Getty Images How will the rookie fit in with his new team? On Thursday night, Drake Maye was selected third overall by the New England Patriots. As we saw during his time with the North Carolina Tar Heels, Maye’s strong arm and sneaky mobility made him a game-changer. That is exactly what New England needs. But how will Maye fit in the short term? New England’s selection of Maye at third overall is the highest quarterback selection by the Patriots since Drew Bledsoe in 1993. This is a signal that New England is committed to rebuilding around a young quarterback that has the potential to be a cornerstone of a franchise. The question is how long will the rebuild take? New England finished as the worst team in the AFC last season, and Bill Belichick is no longer the head coach. Belichick’s departure is a massive change, and Maye’s selection further underscores the changes that are happening in New England. The Patriots have given up on the Mac Jones experiment and traded their former quarterback to the Jacksonville Jaguars in exchange for a 2024 sixth-round pick. Journeyman quarterback Jacoby Brissett returns to the team that picked him in the third round of the 2016 draft after signing a one-year deal with the Patriots last month. Brissett had a couple of productive years with a struggling Indianapolis team. As the Patriots continue to rebuild, Brissett provides a relatively cheap stopgap while Maye develops at the pro level. The Patriots need improvements everywhere on the offensive side of the ball. The offensive line is a concern, especially with Maye’s need to develop decision-making under pressure. Maye has the required strength and athleticism to succeed, but additional work is needed on mechanics. Maye’s pro-style play will fit in with the Patriot offense of the last two decades, but it remains to be seen what type of changes will be introduced by rookie head coach Jerod Mayo. There is a reason the Patriots drafted Maye. If Maye puts in the work in the video room and practice field this offseason, he will be on the field this season for the Patriots.