In The End, Surratt's NFL Path Is At Linebacker

In the first quarter of North Carolina’s 2019 season opener, Chazz Surratt ran to the line of scrimmage, lowered his shoulder and went in to make what looked like a routine tackle on South Carolina’s Tavien Feaster.

Less than five seconds later, Feaster crossed the pylon and scored, leaving UNC's new defensive coordinator in Jay Bateman furious.

“I hit the hole and he spun, and I missed the tackle,” Surratt said during a recent interview. “I remember coach Bateman yelling at me and coach (Mack) Brown pulled me aside and said it was gonna be alright.”

As Brown went on to remind Bateman just moments later, Surratt was in his first ever start as a college linebacker after making the switch from quarterback during the offseason.

An embarrassing moment for sure, but Surratt learned from it, moved on and never looked back.

And now, just over a year and half after his debut on defense, Surratt is now considered one of the top linebackers going into the 2021 NFL Draft.

A 4-star quarterback coming out of high school in Denver, NC, a small town located about 25 miles north of downtown Charlotte, Surratt was a Parade All-American, the Parade National Player of the Year and the Gatorade State Player of the Year as a senior at East Lincoln.

He even broke the North Carolina state record for total career yards with 16,593 and also owns the record for touchdown responsibilities with 229.

A Duke commit for just over two months, Surratt ended up decommitting from the Blue Devils before pledging to UNC in June 2015.

After enrolling in June 2016, Surratt redshirted his first year before appearing in nine games and starting in seven during his redshirt freshman campaign. He finished with a team-high 1,342 yards and tossed eight touchdowns in what was a bad year for the program as they won just three games.

As a junior in 2018, things went south as Surratt appeared in just one game at quarterback, rushing for 69 yards and a touchdown in a 37-point loss at Miami and picking up a season-ending injury as he dove into the end zone to score. He also threw three interceptions that day and injured his wrist, ending his season.

Less than two months later, Larry Fedora was out as Carolina's head coach after seven seasons and was replaced by Mack Brown. Surratt decided before Brown took over that if he remained at UNC, he would do so as a linebacker. Brown was not quite sure about at first.

“He comes to see me and says, ‘Coach, I want to play linebacker,” Brown said during an interview in March. “And I said, ‘Well, we need a quarterback,’ and he said, ‘Nope, I want to play in the NFL, it’s my dream, and I have a lot better chance to play in the NFL at linebacker.’”

A little hesitant, Brown agreed to at least try it, and it is safe to say he made the right decision.

Despite some early struggles, particularly against the Gamecocks, Surratt started 11 games at linebacker in 2019, racking up 115 tackles, which was second best in the ACC, and leading the Tar Heels with 15.0 tackles for loss, 6.5 sacks and 10 quarterback hurries.

This led to Surratt being voted first-team All-ACC and finishing runner-up for the ACC Defensive Player of the Year, capping off what was one of the best individual stories in college football that season.

It was rumored that Surratt may declare for the draft after his stellar junior campaign, but he was hungry for more and ultimately decided to return to Chapel Hill for his senior season.

A starter in all 11 games, he led Carolina and ranked sixth in the conference with 91 tackles before going on to be voted first-team All-ACC for the second straight year.

Following Carolina’s blowout regular season finale win over Miami, Surratt decided to opt out of the Orange Bowl to prepare for the NFL Draft. Since then, he has been working alongside his brother, Sage, a former All-ACC receiver at Wake Forest, who is also hoping to hear his name called come draft time.

“I’ve been in Florida since December,” Surratt said. “Sage opted out, so he's been there since September. So, getting to go down there with him, live with him, live together for the last two or three months and just train together, be in the same building, be under the same roof, it was really cool.”

Having his brother alongside has made the pre-draft process that much easier.

“We’re gonna go through the same process and meet with teams, talk to coaches, talk to scouts, and having someone there that’s in the same shoes I am and I rely on and trust has been a great experience,” Surratt said.

Alongside his brother and former teammate Michael Carter, Surratt was invited to participate in the Reese’s Senior Bowl back in January and took advantage of the opportunity.

Surratt impressed scouts during the first two practices leading up to the game before sitting out on day three and not playing in the game due to injury.

Less than a month ago, UNC had its Pro Day on March 29 in Chapel Hill, with Surratt and four other former Tar Heels participating in it.

While his times mainly reaffirmed what many scouts already knew, Surratt’s 4.58 time in the 40-yard dash tied for fourth for the fastest inside linebacker time in this year’s draft class, showing just how fast and athletic the 6-foot-2, 229-pounder can run.

Numbers aside, Surratt is hoping his previous experience playing quarterback will set him apart from other linebackers in the draft.

“I’m just more ahead mentally, just being able to see stuff on film and break stuff down, having that quarterback background,” he said. “I think that helps me a ton and going forward because, in the NFL, everybody's big, fast and strong.

“You’ve got to be able to separate yourself mentally, so I think that's gonna help me out and I can use that advantage going forward in my career.”

Currently, Pro Football Focus ranks Surratt as the No. 8 linebacker and No. 101 player in this year’s class, while NFL.com has his prospect grade as a 6.14 out of eight, which means he is projected to be a “good backup who could become a starter.”

Mainly due to his lack of size, strength and overall limited experience at the position, it’s extremely unlikely Surratt goes in the first round, with most mock drafts having him as a second or third round pick when things get underway on April 29.

From All-American quarterback in high school to All-American linebacker in college, Surratt’s journey is almost hard to believe. It is far from over yet, though, and he’s as cool as ever ahead of a moment he’s dreamed of since he was a kid.

“For me, I couldn’t tell you what the hype around me is or anything like that,” Surratt said. “I don’t really pay attention to that. I’ve just been working in Florida, training, trying to be the best I can.”

If his Carolina career is any indication, the next chapter of Surratt's story may end up being better than the first.