CHAPEL HILL - North Carolina defensive coordinator Jay Bateman met with the media after practice Wednesday for the first time this fall.

Among the topics discussed were Storm Duck’s emergence, defensive line depth, cross-training Chazz Surratt and much more.

Here are some notes and quotes from what Bateman had to say:

*Duck has been a hot topic among UNC coaches and players as he continues to impress during preseason and Bateman was full of praise for him during Wednesday’s presser.

The sophomore corner is coming off an impressive true freshman campaign where he played in all 13 games for the Heels, racking up a total of 530 snaps and finishing second on the team with five pass breakups and two interceptions.

UNC Coach Mack Brown praised Duck during his press conference on Monday, saying the Boiling Springs, SC, native is “playing at such a high level” and “would probably be the first guy that I would say (stood out during last Saturday's scrimmage)."

Bateman had nothing but positives to say about Duck’s play during preseason, too.

“The kid who has impressed me the most in the entire secondary is Storm Duck,” Bateman said. “I feel like he can play for about anybody. I think he's going to be an NFL football player.”

Duck’s versatility is also something that impresses Bateman, and a majority of UNC’s offensive players, heading into the season.

“He can play at either of the corners and do a really good job, play a lot of different techniques,” Bateman said. “I think, if you ask the offensive guys, he's probably the guy they talk about the most.”

*One of, if not the, most talked about position groups during preseason has been the defensive line. The Heels lost the likes of Aaron Crawford, Jason Strowbridge and Allen Cater from last year’s team, meaning players who haven’t done much so far in their careers need to step up this season if this defense wants to be successful.

Tomari Fox, Tomon Fox, Ray Vohasek and Jahlil Taylor are returning players that saw a lot of action in 2019 but, besides those four guys, UNC’s defensive line options are relatively unproven. While who exactly will step up and seize the opportunity remains to be seen, Bateman does have a handful of linemen he feels comfortable throwing out there if the season opener against Syracuse was this weekend.

“To play some snaps, I'd say probably six,” Bateman said. “Some of the younger guys, we're gonna ask them to do very specific roles until they kind of get a better handle on everything. I think that's the situation we're in right now that makes it a lot better for us.”

Among those six players he feels comfortable playing with right now are Xach Gill and Kevin Hester. Both played a combined total of just 140 snaps last season, but Bateman has been impressed with how they’ve developed this offseason, particularly Gill.

“Xach Gill's really improved,” Bateman said. “I think Xach’s kind of figured out how to use the body God gave him. He's a big, long kid and he's using that and I really feel strongly about him and the improvement he's made.”

*Another hot topic over the past few weeks of camp has been Surratt cross-training across different positions.

Brown said Monday that the emergence of sophomore linebacker Eugene Asante has made the staff more comfortable with moving Surratt around, something Bateman also touched on Wednesday.

“We are going to use him in about every way you can...,” Bateman said. “What we felt like last year is people were like, ‘Hey, look, block the down guys and then block 21.’ We've done some stuff to move him around where that makes it a little bit more difficult.”

Bateman wants to make sure they’re utilizing Surratt’s ability to drop back and cover, too.

“Chazz is phenomenal in coverage,” Bateman said. “If we do feel like they're trying to protect against a potential blitz or potential deal where he's aligned as a rusher and then we drop him into coverage, that's a win for us. We plan on using him in a number of different ways.”

*It’s no secret that the secondary is the most loaded position group on the entire team. UNC lost just Myles Dorn, Greg Ross and DJ Ford, who decided to opt out of playing this season, from last year’s team and return seven players that played 50 or more snaps in 2019.

The abundance of depth across the secondary is something that excites Bateman, with his biggest challenge just finding a way to fit them all in on Saturday’s.

“It's really great to come out here and not be like, ‘Oh Lord, he's in,’ that's made it a lot better,” Bateman said. “I think the depth is a strength and I think, with depth like that, competition, iron sharpens iron and I'm excited to see those kids play.”

Bateman also praised the leadership senior safety Myles Wolfolk, who started last season and played 271 snaps before suffering a season-ending injury against Appalachian State, is bringing to the secondary and team as a whole.

“When he's out there, the rest of the defense functions better,” Bateman said. “I can yell at Wolf instead of yelling at the entire group, he appreciates that role. I think he's kind of the unquestioned veteran leader. I think he brings everything to that group.