Heel Tough Blog: Tar Heel CB Accepts Invite to Senior Bowl
- Anthony Pagnotta
- 5 minutes ago
- 2 min read
Believe it or not, with football season nearing its end, it is time for the various showcase games to start handing out their invitations for their events. On Thursday, it was announced that a member of the Tar Heels will be heading to Mobile, AL in late January for the Panini Senior Bowl.
As revealed by the official Senior Bowl account, Tar Heel cornerback Thaddeus Dixon has been extended and accepted an invite to play in the event that will take place on January 31st from Hancock Whitney Stadium on the campus of South Alabama. This news comes after Dixon announced last Friday that he was officially entering his name into the draft after one season in Chapel Hill.
In that lone season in a Tar Heel uniform, Dixon played in seven games, starting all seven at outside corner. He started the first five games of the season before suffering an upper-body injury in the game against Clemson that kept him out until the team’s final home game against Duke. In 397 snaps, he collected 19 total tackles, 2.0 tackles for loss and five pass breakups. He was targeted 25 times in coverage and allowed 15 of those to be caught for 219 yards and a touchdown. Prior to UNC, he spent two years at Washington after transferring from Long Beach Community College, where he began his college career. In 2023, he finished the season with 26 total tackles, 1.0 tackles for loss, one interception and five pass breakups while allowing 25 of his 40 receptions to be caught for 315 yards and four touchdowns in 361 snaps. This season, Dixon earned All-Big Ten honorable mention after an outstanding season where he finished with 43 total tackles, 2.0 tackles for loss, one interception and ten pass breakups while allowing just 23 of his 51 targets to be caught for 237 yards and two touchdowns in 751 snaps.
His draft stock is in a solid spot heading into the pre-draft process. Pro Football Focus’ Big Board has him ranked as the No. 156 overall prospect and No. 18 cornerback prospect for the 2026 NFL Draft, which means he is seen as a solid Day 3 pick.