CHAPEL HILL - With North Carolina’s NFL Pro Day set for March 29, UNC Coach Mack Brown and former players Javonte Williams, Michael Carter, Dyami Brown, Dazz Newsome, and Chazz Surratt met with the media via Zoom on Friday afternoon to discuss where they are in the process right now and more.

Among the topics discussed were their preparations ahead of the Pro Day and the NFL Draft, which runs April 29-May 1, what they have been working on, who they model their games after and much more.

Below are the full videos of the press conferences along with some pulled notes and quotes from what each player had to say:

*Williams came to Carolina in 2018 as a relatively unknown recruit from Wallace Rose-Hill High School in Teachey, NC.

Fast forward three years and the former 2-star recruit who received just one scholarship offer, which was from UNC, is one of the top running back prospects in this year’s draft.

Williams amassed 2,297 rushing yards and 29 touchdowns in his UNC career, including 1,140 yards on the ground and 19 touchdowns last season.

So, what does Williams think of his journey from an unknown recruit to a second-team AP All-American in 2020?

“I think about that a lot,” Williams said. “Just coming from where I come from, not that many people get a chance to be in the position I am now.

“But, like you said, I was very under recruited coming out of high school, but I feel like everything is a blessing and everything happened for a reason. So, honestly I just feel like this is my destiny.”

*Williams was asked on Friday if he thinks he is the best running back in the draft. His response?

“Yes sir.”

Exactly why does Williams think he’s the top running back going into April 29?

“Honestly, I feel like just being able to do it all,” Williams said. “Run, pass, catch, block. Not having so much wear and tear on my body and also age. I feel like that plays a lot into it because the average player in the NFL doesn’t last that long.

“So, I feel like age and a lot of things go into it, but honestly I just feel like I compete against myself and I feel like that's really what helped me so much to this point.”

*Another standout back for the Tar Heels during his career, Carter really burst onto the scene during impressive junior and senior campaigns in particular.

During the 2019 season, Carter rushed for 1,003 yards and three touchdowns, which led to him being voted third-team All-ACC.

The Navarre, FL, native followed up a breakout junior campaign with an even better senior season in 2020, racking up 1,245 yards on the ground and scoring 11 combined rushing and receiving touchdowns on his way to being voted a PFF first-team All American and All-ACC first-team back.

Despite arguably the biggest moment of his career to date being less than 72 hours away, Carter is just excited to be back in Chapel Hill and thinks the experiences he had during his career at UNC has prepared him for the next level.

“I'm just happy to be back with my friends again,” Carter said. “Just ready to live out our dream. I think just being in the spotlight that we've had, it just means a lot because we've been been under lights before, we've been under duress.

“So, pro day is gonna be a fun day for us. We're gonna run around, have fun and we’re gonna get paid.”

*After two 1,000-yard seasons under Brown as a junior and senior, where does Carter think he grew the most from year three to four?

“Staying healthy,” Carter said. “My sophomore year, I had a broken hand and, my junior year, I was a good player, but I wasn't really 100 percent every single game…

“So, just taking care of my body, I learned how to do that better. And then also just studying film better. Not just going into the game with talent, really having a plan.”

*One of the most glaring aspects of Brown’s game at Carolina was his deep threat ability as he averaged 20.0 yards per catch last season and 18.7 during his career as a Tar Heel.

Still, Brown wants to be known more as an all-around receiver than just someone that can take the top off the defense. What exactly is he hoping to show NFL scouts and coaches during pro day next week?

“Just being able to show that I can run different routes in different areas,” Brown said. “I’ve been on the left side for the past two years, but I'm someone who can run routes on the right side or in the slot and run every route there is instead of just being a deep threat.”

*Brown played in 34 games during his three-year career in Chapel Hill, amassing 2,306 yards and 21 touchdowns.

Even more impressive? He is the first receiver in Carolina history to have two 1,000-yard receiving seasons, which came during his sophomore and junior campaigns, and was voted to the All-ACC first-team and AP All-America third-team in 2020.

So, who did Brown model his game after at UNC?

“There are actually two receivers that I try to watch,” Brown said. “I watched Davonte Adams and, the question earlier with the releases, I pretty much got that from him.

“And then Amari Cooper. I feel like we have the same building run. So, just route running is a great aspect for that, so those are the two main guys that I watch the most.”

*During his four-year career in Chapel Hill, Newsome racked up 2,435 receiving yards and 18 touchdowns in 44 games for the Tar Heels.

His best season in Carolina blue came during his junior campaign in 2019 when Newsome amassed 1,018 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns. He also proved to be a big player receiver, averaging 13.0 yards per catch during his career.

So, how are NFL teams saying they want to use Newsome at the next level?

“Mostly I’ve been hearing in the slot,” Newsome said. “They’ve been asking me if I can go outside and I tell them, ‘Yea, for sure.’ I can do anything you want to put me at. I can play running back, slot. I can do it all.”

*Who does Newsome model his game after?

“I’m a huge fan of Steve Smith,” Newsome said. “That’s one of my favorite all-time receivers. I just liked how he was competitive and he was really just a dog.”

*In the months leading up to pro day, Surratt has been working out with his brother, Sage, who is a projected day two or three pick going into the draft next month after a three-year career at Wake Forest.

So, what has it been like preparing with his own brother?

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

Surratt said that having his brother go through the same things he is currently experiencing has made the whole process easier.

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

*A former quarterback for two of his four seasons at Carolina, how does Surratt think his time on offense will help him as a linebacker in the NFL?

“The way I prepare for the game is a little bit different,” Surratt said. “More ahead mentally, just being able to see stuff on film and break stuff down. Having that quarterback background, I think that helps me a ton and going forward because, in the NFL, everybody's big, fast and strong, but 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.”