CHAPEL HILL – The NFL Draft is almost here, as it begins Thursday night and goes through Saturday.
Seven rounds, 257 selections, plus free agency for undrafted players follows shortly after.
How many Tar Heels will get drafted? How many others will sign as free agents?
North Carolina’s football Twitter/X account posted a tweet Wednesday noting 15 players who are likely somewhere on draft boards for any number of the league’s 32 teams. Some dreams will come true by the end of this week, but it will surely be one of the more stressful times many of these young men have experienced as football players.
The anticipation of who might draft them, if they will be taken, and if not, will anyone offer them a free agent deal, are nerve-racking to the players and their families.
Brian Simmons, UNC’s Senior Advisor to the Head Coach/Pro Liaison, has spent time with the draftable Tar Heels discussing with them so many aspects of what will take place not only this week, but also in the weeks after each are with NFL teams.
For example, he advises players to have their phone with them at all times and answer every call. If a team calls an undrafted player and he doesn’t answer, they move on to the next guy. The zoom call wasn't just for players gaurateed to hear their names, such as Drake Maye, Tez Walker, and Cedric Gray.
“Most of that is tailored more to a guy that may be undrafted, because there are more variables in that process for them guys about understanding team needs, understanding making sure you keep track on who’s getting drafted at your position with that team,” Simons said earlier this week at the Kenan Football Center. “And then also doing the homework pre-draft, understanding, ‘what is my best opportunity; where is the place that I can make a team.’
“It’s not a guarantee, but at least you don’t want to walk into a building where you don’t have an opportunity to make the team based off numbers.”
A star high school running back from New Bern, NC, Simmons went to North Carolina, switched to linebacker and redshirted. He developed into an All-America, was a first-round NFL pick, played ten years in the league, was a scout for the Jacksonville Jaguars for eight years, was an assistant and head high school football coach, and is now back at UNC serving under Mack Brown, who coached him at Carolina in the 1990s.
Simmons was named the 2014 Fritz Pollard Alliance's AFC Scout of the Year, and most recently was the radio color analyst for UNC football, so he has seen the program in person for some time.
An additional key in Simmons’ job is that he’s preparing not just Drake Maye and Cedric Gray for the draft experience, but many of the other players who aren’t as highly regarded, but still on draft boards.
“Just knowing that people will have a different experience with it, and no experience is any more important than the other,” Simmons said. “If you’re an undrafted guy, or if you’re a Drake Maye, when that team calls you, that experience is the same thing.
“Obviously, there’s different ramifications between going top five or being a free agent. But for that guy, that’s the opportunity that he has.”
Below, we will note them and a range of where they might be selected, or if they are regarded strictly as free agents.
Draft Range Projections For 15 Tar Heels
Note: UDFA means undrafted free agent
Drake Maye, QB: One of the top 5 picks.
Tez Walker, WR: Late 2nd round, by mid-3rd round
Cedric Gray, LB: Likely 3rd-round selection.
Myles Murphy, DT: Late 6th-7th round, UDFA
Amari Gainer, OLB: UDFA
Corey Gaynor, C: UDFA
Spencer Rolland, OT: Late 7th-UDFA
Few Indicators For These Heels:
Will Barnes, OL:
British Brooks, RB:
Don Chapman, DB:
Ben Kiernan, P:
Drew Little, LS/DS:
Ed Montilus, OL: None
Tomari Fox, DL: None
