CHAPEL HILL – Had Cedric Gray entered his name in the 2023 NFL Draft, he would be getting established with his new team preparing for his rookie season in the league.
Gray would have been drafted, and maybe in a solid spot where his team would expect some immediate production. But he had other ideas.
The NFL will be there, and he has a goal a final season in college at North Carolina can help him achieve, but there’s another goal that can only be met remaining at UNC.
“It was definitely tough,” Gray said about not going into the NFL draft. “But one of the things that I wanted to do was graduate when I came here. That was a real big thing for me. Not only that, but personally I felt like I had more stuff I could have gotten better at to prepare for that next level.”
A First-Team All-ACC selection last season, Gray was also named second-team on multiple All-America squads, including The Sporting News and PFF. Racking up 145 tackles, including 82 solos, 12 TFLs, a pair of interceptions, and three forced fumbles will get a player plenty of recognition.
Gray registered 13 or more tackles in six different games, including a season-high 16 in a win at Virginia. Gray wants more in 2023.
“I want to be a first-round pick,” he said. “I set high expectations for myself, and I definitely think there’s a lot of things I can work on this year and hopefully put myself in that position.”
To do so, Gray absorbed the feedback he got from the league and began the process of cleaning up his game. Recruited by some schools as a wide receiver out of Ardrey Kell High School in Charlotte, Gray could have played offense in college. He caught 143 passes for 2,467 yards and 27 touchdowns for the Knights.
But the nearly 6-foot-3, 230-pounder is a linebacker now. That’s his future, too.
“I think the number one thing is physicality in the box, like taking on blockers and stuff like that,” Gray said, referencing what he’s working on this offseason to prepare for the Tar Heels’ season and his professional future. “I think that’s one of the biggest things. I’ve said it every year I’ve been here, but staying low is one of my biggest challenges because I’m a longer body. So those are the two main things that I really want to work on this offseason.”
Ask Gray’s teammates or UNC’s coaches about him, and the plaudits easily roll off their tongues.
“Just a real savvy, crafty player but his football IQ definitely separates him," defensive coordinator Gene Chizik said. "That's without me stating the obvious, he's physically gifted and talented.
“You can't be around the ball that much and not really have a great football IQ and good feel for the game. To me that is what separates him."
UNC Coach Mack Brown calls Gray “one of the best players in the country” and says about his return to Carolina, “(He) wants to finish this thing right.”
Gray is back for his final season at UNC, barring the unforeseen, and the intent is for fans to see an even better version of himself, which he hopes will lead to more wins by the Tar Heels.
