Monday morning, the Tar Heels will host their 2023 pro day as five former players look to impress NFL scouts one last time before April’s draft. Certain guys will be looking to build off of a strong showing in Indianapolis, while others will be hoping to put themselves in contention just to get an invite to a training camp in the summer. Here is a look at where the stock of the five players that will be participating in some capacity this morning.
WR Josh Downs
The Draft Network: 1st-2nd Round, No. 5 WR
Pro Football Focus: 1st-2nd Round, No. 5 WR
ESPN: 2nd Round, No. 6 WR
WalterFootball.com: 2nd-4th Round, No. 11 WR
Pro Football Network: 1st-2nd Round, No. 4 WR
Drafttek: 2nd Round, No. 4 WR
NFL Draft Buzz: 2nd Round, No. 6 WR
NFL Mock Draft Database: 2nd Round, No. 6 WR
Downs is easily the highest-rated prospect for the Tar Heels in this draft and has a chance to push himself even closer to the first round if he performs well on Tuesday. If he is able to put up an even better 40 time than he did in Indy and showcase more of his route tree, he may be able to vault himself ahead of guys like Jordan Addison and possibly even Zay Flowers on teams’ boards. At the least, Tuesday should only solidify the fact that he will be drafted early on in the 2nd Round.
OT Asim Richards
The Draft Network: 5th-6th Round, No. 15 OT
Pro Football Focus: 6th Round, No. 17 OT
ESPN: 6th Round, No. 9 OG
WalterFootball.com: Unranked
Pro Football Network: 7th-Undrafted, No. 25 OT
Drafttek: 6th Round, No. 15 OT
NFL Draft Buzz: Undrafted, No. 16 OT
NFL Mock Draft Database: 6th-7th Round, No. 19 IOL
According to the experts, Richards didn’t do any of the athletic testing at the combine, but he helped himself more than any of the Tar Heel prospects that were in Indianapolis. He may also be the prospect that can help himself the most of those expected to be drafted if he does choose to go through the athletic stuff and nails the on-field drills again. Regardless, he has secured himself as someone that will hear his name called at some during the three days of the draft.
WR Antoine Green
The Draft Network: 6th Round, No. 28 WR
Pro Football Focus: Undrafted, No. 43 WR
ESPN: Undrafted, No. 43 WR
WalterFootball.com: 6th-Undrafted, No. 38 WR
Pro Football Network: 6th-7th Round, No. 32 WR
Drafttek: Undrafted, No. 34 WR
NFL Draft Buzz: Undrafted, No. 41 WR
NFL Mock Draft Database: Undrafted, No. 42 WR
Green was the player that I felt helped himself the most at the combine, but the experts didn’t really see it that way. His stock stayed relatively steady after a really nice showing in Indy and it means that there really isn’t much else he can do to help himself on Monday. At this point, it seems all but certain that Green will be a late Day 3 guy or someone who gets claimed immediately after the draft as an undrafted free agent, which might be the more preferable choice.
LB Noah Taylor
The Draft Network: Undrafted, No. 41 LB
Pro Football Focus: Unranked
ESPN: Unranked
WalterFootball.com: Unranked
Pro Football Network: Unranked
Drafttek: Undrafted, No. 19 OLB
NFL Draft Buzz: Undrafted, No. 75 EDGE
NFL Mock Draft Database: Undrafted, No. 340 LB
Taylor is the only player that will not be able to go through all of the on-field drills on Monday as he continues to recover from a knee injury that cost him the final six games of the 2022 season. He will almost certainly not be playing in USFL despite being selected in the second round of their college player draft last month because of that injury, so his conversations with scouts and teams will be important. It feels like most people are starting to place him on their draft boards, granted as an undrafted prospect, but he seems to have a real shot at being brought into a camp with as team this summer.
DT Raymond Vohasek
The Draft Network: Unranked
Pro Football Focus: Unranked
ESPN: Unranked
WalterFootball.com: Unranked
Pro Football Network: Unranked
Drafttek: Unranked
NFL Draft Buzz: Undrafted, No. 77 DL
NFL Mock Draft Database: Undrafted, No. 38 DL
Vohasek is the player that enters Monday with the most work to do. Considering he did not go to the combine and will be a full participant in all of the drills, he will also have a chance to improve his stock more than anybody else. For him, the hope is that he can show enough athleticism and put up enough reps on the bench press to at least convince someone to give him a camp invite, something that is far from a guarantee right now.