UNC football pro day another step in the right direction
When North Carolina football coach Mack Brown talks about elevating the program, days like Monday are exactly what he has in mind.
The NFL Network and representatives from 31 of the 32 NFL franchises descended upon Chapel Hill to view five former Tar Heels who hope to be drafted this year.
“It just means a lot to have the NFL Network out here and especially Steve Smith, just because it kind of shows the trajectory of the program,” said running back Michael Carter, who lead UNC with 1,245 rushing yards last season.
Running back Javonte Williams, receivers Dyami Brown and Dazz Newsome, and linebacker Chazz Surratt were the other participants from last season’s UNC squad that went 8-4 and made an Orange Bowl appearance. Former UNC running back Jordon Brown, who played at Kansas State last season as a grad transfer, and tight end Brandon Fritts also participated.
Scouts watched as they ran the 40-yard dash, had their vertical jumps measured and were put through drills like the three-cone drill and the 60 shuttle.
It’s not the first time the Heels have drawn a pre-draft buzz. When quarterback Mitch Trubisky and a UNC draft class that included receiver Ryan Switzer and running backs Elijah Hood and T.J. Logan had their day in 2017, a total of 75 NFL reps from every team were present. But the hoopla was largely about one player.
ESPN broadcast it live and NFL Films had a crew present to document Trubisky’s every move. Monday was about the growing depth of Carolina’s talent, with four players projected to be taken within the first three rounds.
Monday, 59 NFL team representatives attended the workouts. The L.A. Rams are not attending any pro day workouts this year.
Williams, who set a single-season record with a combined 22 touchdowns rushing and receiving, was second with 1,140 rushing yards. Both NFL.com and CBS.com have his name as the first UNC player to be called with the 36th overall pick on draft day.
Carter was rated the fourth best running back in the draft by Pro Football Focus, which also had Brown as its ninth best receiver and Surratt as its 10th best linebacker available.
“It means a lot that we got it back up to where we should be,” Carter said. “And the team next year, I got to watch some practice the other day, they’re gonna be special man. They’re gonna be a really great team, so we’re headed in the right direction.”
Next year’s pro day could be silly at Carolina with the number of scouts and personnel figures wanting to get a look at junior quarterback Sam Howell. If the season lives up to the hype for Howell, who is likely a Heisman Trophy candidate, they could be looking for a closeup of the potential top overall pick. To their surprise, they got a sneak peak on Monday, as Howell threw passes during the receiver and running back position drills.
Dyami Brown said he didn’t learn Howell would be throwing the passes until Sunday. Williams called it, “a big sigh of relief.”
“Just knowing that Sam was gonna be throwing, we had the same timing that we always had,” Williams said. “I felt a lot more comfortable with him throwing and that’s not a knock on coach Galloway or anything like that, but just having a Sam back there -- we’ve been doing this for two years now so it was a lot more comfortable.”
Being comfortable and therefore relaxed was as much a key to performing well as anything to do with technique. It can be an awkward situation running around knowing every move is being observed and evaluated by men with notepads in one hand, a stopwatch in the other and a team logo on their shirts.
It’s why Mack Brown emphasized to the players before their workouts not to try and be special.
“You have to be really, really careful that you don’t try to do too much,” Brown said. “You are who you are. So my advice to these guys is enjoy Monday and just do the best you can do and don’t try to do more than that.”
Despite all the teams present, Dyami Brown was excited by the presence of former Carolina Panthers great Steve Smith, who now works as an analyst for NFL Network. Smith even pulled Brown aside and told him to stop running deep routes as he continues to train for the draft.
“He told me work on all the intermediate stuff, the things that I haven’t done as much, because at the next level you’ll have to run every route there is instead of a deep route,” said Brown, who knows NFL teams already like his deep route abilities. “...Just getting that knowledge and stuff for him is a big thing for me.”
It’s a big thing for the Carolina program, too, as it aims to become a top 10 program.
“When it comes to these workouts, for sure you want to represent the brand of UNC,” Surratt said. “All times put your best foot forward, whether it’s on the field or an interview. So, yeah, that’s definitely the back of my mind.”