UNC football shut out in 2026 NFL Draft after first season under Bill Belichick
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- UNC produced zero selections in 2026 NFL Draft following Belichick’s first season.
- UNC finished 4-8 (2-6 ACC) in Belichick’s college debut season.
- Several undrafted Tar Heels signed NFL free‑agent deals with multiple NFL teams.
North Carolina football, dubbed the “33rd (NFL) team” by general manager Michael Lombardi, produced zero NFL Draft picks after its first season under Bill Belichick.
There were 257 picks over three days in the 2026 NFL Draft. For the first time since 2016, UNC went without a selection — a striking outcome for a program that had produced multiple draft picks in five of the past six years and first-rounders in each of the past two cycles.
North Carolina was one of four ACC programs (alongside Syracuse, Virginia, Virginia Tech) — and one of 10 across the Power Four — without a 2026 draft pick. Meanwhile, Duke had three players selected, N.C. State had two, and Wake Forest and ECU each had one.
The dry spell for the Tar Heels comes after a 4-8 season (2-6 ACC) in Belichick’s college debut — UNC’s lowest win total since 2018.
“Everything we do here is predicated on building a pro team,” Lombardi said in February 2025. “We consider ourselves the 33rd (NFL) team, ‘cause everybody who’s involved in our program has had some form of aspect in pro football.’”
But Year 1 results — both on the field and in the draft — underscored the gap between that vision and the current state of the program.
Pressed for time last offseason, UNC leaned on the portal to add 41 transfers and also signed a 31-man 2025 high school class (though two later transferred out). That approach, which Belichick and Lombardi later stated was not ideal, did not yield immediate NFL-ready talent.
Despite going undrafted, several Tar Heels have already signed NFL deals as free agents:
- Cornerback Thaddeus Dixon (New York Giants)
- Offensive lineman Austin Blaske (Los Angeles Rams)
- Cornerback Marcus Allen (Minnesota Vikings)
- Offensive lineman Chad Lindberg (Los Angeles Rams)
North Carolina enters Year 2 with a heightened sense of urgency and, according to multiple Tar Heels who have spoken to the media during 2026 spring practice, a chip on its shoulder.
At his press conference in late March, Belichick emphasized continuity as the key difference entering Year 2.
“Last year we were obviously late coming in on the recruiting end, late coming in on the portal end,” Belichick said. “Then, at the end of spring ball, we had a lot of changes between the end of spring ball and start of fall camp... we didn’t have anywhere near the continuity that we expect to have this year.”
The Tar Heels open the 2026 season Aug. 29 against TCU in Dublin, Ireland — a high-profile stage for a program trying to prove its rebuild is taking hold.
