University of North Carolina linebacker Chazz Surratt has been selected in the third round with the 78th overall pick of the 2021 NFL Draft by the Minnesota Vikings. Surratt becomes the 242nd Tar Heel chosen in the NFL Draft and the 31st linebacker. He is also the 26th Carolina football player selected in the third round. Surratt is the ninth Tar Heel chosen by the Minnesota Vikings as well.

“First off, I want to thank the Minnesota Vikings for selecting me,” Surratt said. “I’ve dreamed of playing in the NFL since I was a little kid, and now I have that opportunity. Obviously, I took a different path than normal by changing positions during college, but it was the right decision and I’m glad it is paying off. I want to thank my family for their support and guidance throughout this journey. I wouldn’t be here without them. I also want to thank Coach Fedora and his staff for bringing me to North Carolina and Coach Brown and his staff for helping me as I worked through the position change. I can’t leave out my teammates. Those guys made my time in Chapel Hill so special and I feel really lucky to have so many brothers for life. This is an exciting time and I’m looking forward to joining the Vikings organization and getting to work.”

“Chazz is one of the more unique stories I’ve seen in my time coaching,” said Carolina head coach Mack Brown. “To go from quarterback to linebacker and have the kind of success he did shows just how athletic he is and how much he understands the game. Chazz is just scratching the surface of how good he can be and I think the Vikings are going to benefit from his work ethic and continued growth.”

In two seasons at linebacker, Surratt recorded 206 tackles, 22.5 tackles for loss, 12.5 sacks, two interceptions, two forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries in 24 games.

Voted a team captain and later named the team’s defensive MVP, Surratt was a semifinalist for the Butkus Award and Lott Trophy in 2020. As a first team All-ACC selection, Surratt led Carolina and ranked sixth in the ACC with 91 tackles. He was second on the team with 7.5 TFL and six sacks, and fourth with six hurries.

In his first season on defense, Surratt was runner-up for ACC Defensive Player of the Year and a first team All-ACC selection in 2019. He led UNC (second in the ACC) with 115 tackles, 15.0 TFL, 6.5 sacks and 10 hurries. According to Pro Football Focus, Surratt’s 31 total pressures were the seventh most among Power 5 linebackers.