Thursday is the first night of arguably the most talked about draft in NFL history. Five Tar Heels are expected to be amongst the 259 players selected in the three days of the draft and there appeared to be a possibility that four of the five could be off the board in the top 100 picks. Here on draft eve, we give you a look at the latest mock draft standings and where the Tar Heel prospects are projected to go as of right now.
Javonte Williams
Chad Reuter (NFL.com): Round 2, No. 39 overall to Carolina Panthers
Ryan Wilson (CBS Sports): Round 2, No. 34 overall to New York Jets
A.J. Schulte (Pro Football Network): Round 2, No. 35 overall to Atlanta Falcons
Vinnie Iyer (Sporting News): Round 2, No. 49 overall to Arizona Cardinals
Pro Football Focus: Round 3, No. 68 overall to Atlanta Falcons
DraftTek: Round 2, No. 50 overall to Miami Dolphins
There have been a small faction of draft experts that have Williams jumping into the first round, and while it doesn’t appear as if that is going to be the case for him, he has certainly solidified himself into a Day 2 selection. At this point, heading into this weekend, it appears that he will almost certainly go somewhere in the middle of that second round and those chances will be even better if Najee Harris and Travis Etienne. There are a couple of interesting landing spots here for Williams, but the most attractive one above is Atlanta where he would get a chance to play early.
Dyami Brown
Chad Reuter (NFL.com): Round 2, No. 42 overall to New York Giants
Ryan Wilson (CBS Sports): Round 3, No. 67 overall to Houston Texans
A.J. Schulte (Pro Football Network): Round 2, No. 59 overall to Chicago Bears
Vinnie Iyer (Sporting News): Round 4, No. 121 overall to Washington Football Team
Pro Football Focus: Round 2, No. 43 overall to San Francisco 49ers
DraftTek: Round 3, No. 92 overall to Green Bay Packers
Brown is the guy who had made a major climb of the Tar Heel prospects over the last month as he looks as if he will possibly be able to sneak into that second round on Friday night. Like Williams, Brown has at least appeared to lock himself in as a Day 2 selection and won’t head into the weekend waiting to hear his name called. There are some solid landing spots here, but the best would probably be to head up to Green Bay to play with Aaron Rodgers in a system where a guy that he compares very well to, Marques Valdes-Scantling, has thrived.
Michael Carter
Chad Reuter (NFL.com): Round 3, No. 68 overall to Atlanta Falcons
Ryan Wilson (CBS Sports): Round 3, No. 71 overall to Denver Broncos
A.J. Schulte (Pro Football Network): Round 3, No. 86 overall to New York Jets
Vinnie Iyer (Sporting News): Round 3, No. 81 overall to Miami Dolphins
Pro Football Focus: Round 3, No. 87 overall to Pittsburgh Steelers
DraftTek: Round 4, No. 111 overall to Cincinnati Bengals
Carter draft stock has plateaued after his post-Senior Bowl jump, but he is another player that looks like he will probably be taken off the board by the end of the third round. He’s not quite as sure of a bet as the other two that we talked about above, but it would be pretty shocking if he lasted until the 4th round. In terms of the fit, just about all of these spots could offer a chance at playing, but the fit in both Pittsburgh and Atlanta look to be just a step ahead here.
Chazz Surratt
Chad Reuter (NFL.com): Round 3, No. 95 overall to Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Ryan Wilson (CBS Sports): Round 3, No. 81 overall to Miami Dolphins
A.J. Schulte (Pro Football Network): Round 4, No. 135 overall to Carolina Panthers
Vinnie Iyer (Sporting News): Round 3, No. 74 overall to Washington Football Team
Pro Football Focus: Round 4, No. 131 overall to Baltimore Ravens
DraftTek: Round 3, No. 89 overall to Cleveland Browns
This is the lone prospect that seems to be falling a bit down the draft boards heading into draft weekend, but it still appears as if there is a chance that Surratt is a Day 2 selection. Right now, he is a fringe Day 2, Day 3 selection, but right now the furthest it looks like he will fall is to the middle of the final day. This is another player who the mocks have projected in some great situations, but the defenses that Washington and Carolina run would seem to fit him the best as he is still a bit of an unknown in terms of his fit at the NFL level.
Dazz Newsome
Chad Reuter (NFL.com): Undrafted
Ryan Wilson (CBS Sports): Round 6, No. 192 overall to Dallas Cowboys
A.J. Schulte (Pro Football Network): Round 6, No. 187 overall to Atlanta Falcons
Vinnie Iyer (Sporting News): Round 3, No. 101 overall to Detroit Lions
Pro Football Focus: Round 7, No. 234 overall to Philadelphia Eagles
DraftTek: Round 6, No. 187 overall to Atlanta Falcons
Newsome is the one prospect in this class that has a good chance to last until Day 3, but it’s still hard to get a read on where exactly teams have him on their draft boards. It seems like the groupthink points to him being a midday pick on the final day, but it’s worth being on alert from the late 3rd round on with Newsome. The best of the mock draft scenarios for Newsome is the situation in Philadelphia where they are desperate for receivers, especially with all of the injuries that they have suffered in the last couple of years.