Heel Tough Blog: 2026 Tar Heel NFL Draft Rankings- Post-Combine
- Anthony Pagnotta
- Mar 4
- 3 min read
On Friday, the two Tar Heels that were invited to this year’s NFL Scouting Combine took to the field in Indianapolis as they tried to impress in a loaded group of corners. Following their performances, here is where the Tar Heels draft prospects sit as they head towards their pro days, which will take place sometime in the month of March.
CB Thaddeus Dixon
PFF Big Board: 5th Round, No. 19 CB
ESPN Big Board: Unranked
DraftTek: 5th Round, No. 17 CB
WalterFootball.com: 3rd-5th Round, No. 22 CB
NFL Draft Buzz: 5th-6th Round, No. 24 CB
NFL Mock Draft Database Consensus Big Board: 5th-6th Round, No. 21 CB
Dixon is the lone prospect this season for the Tar Heels who looks like a sure thing to be drafted. He had a solid performance in Mobile at the Senior Bowl back in January and looked good in the drills on Friday night so he feels like he is trending up heading into the pro day. A strong pro day performance could be just what he needs to become an early Day 3 selection.
CB Marcus Allen
PFF Big Board: Undrafted, No. 38 CB
ESPN Big Board: Unranked
DraftTek: Unranked
WalterFootball.com: Undrafted, Unranked
NFL Draft Buzz: Unranked
NFL Mock Draft Database Consensus Big Board: Undrafted, No. 36 CB
Allen is the only other Tar Heels that was invited to the combine and will probably be the only other guy who will potentially be drafted. He had a nice showing for himself out in Frisco at the Shrine Bowl, which boosted his stock a little bit and his performance in Indy certainly won’t hurt him. He ran a 4.50 40-yard dash, which is a very solid number for him, and jumped well, too, showing off his athleticism. If he can be a little better catching the ball in the drills on his pro day, he might be able to convince a team to draft him or at least make him a high priority undrafted free agent.
OG Daniel King
PFF Big Board: Undrafted, No. 24 OG
ESPN Big Board: Unranked
DraftTek: Unranked
WalterFootball.com: 3rd-5th Round, No. 9 OG
NFL Draft Buzz: Unranked
NFL Mock Draft Database Consensus Big Board: Unranked
King certainly seems like a long shot to be drafted, considering he appears on very few draft boards, but the fact that he is on PFF’s radar is big. He had a steady season for the Tar Heels along an offensive line, grading out well in pass protection, which is the main reason that he is showing up on these draft boards when you combine it with his frame. The pro day will be the chance for him to convince teams that they should take a risk on him, likely as an undrafted free agent.
IOL Chad Lindberg
PFF Big Board: Undrafted, Unranked
ESPN Big Board: Unranked
DraftTek: Unranked
WalterFootball.com: Undrafted, Unranked
NFL Draft Buzz: Undrafted, No. 14 C
NFL Mock Draft Database Consensus Big Board: Undrafted, No. 87 IOL
Lindberg is in a similar situation to King, as he’ll most likely be trying to convince teams that he is worth bringing to camp with them in the summer. His improvement as the season went along at center, combined with his versatility, makes him someone who could be worth a flier for an NFL team. A strong pro day performance will be needed from him, though, if he wants that to happen.
LB Andrew Simpson
PFF Big Board: Unranked
ESPN Big Board: Unranked
DraftTek: Unranked
WalterFootball.com: Unranked
NFL Draft Buzz: Unranked
NFL Mock Draft Database Consensus Big Board: Unranked
Simpson is one name that I thought we would see appear somewhere on these draft boards, but he is nowhere to be found. Even with that, we’ll put him on this list of guys to keep an eye on because it feels like he might be the guy that can help himself the most when we get to the pro day based on his production from this past year.
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