The North Carolina Tar Heels finished the season first in the ACC Coastal. With plenty of talent on the offensive side of the ball, it’s no surprise that they are sending a number of wide receiver prospects to the 2023 NFL Draft. Here are the scouting reports for each of North Carolina’s Draft prospects.
North Carolina 2023 NFL Draft Scouting Reports
Antoine Green, WR
Strengths: Dependable possession receiver with reliable hands. Displays good route discipline, tracks the pass in the air, and competes to come away with the difficult grab. Knows where he is on the field, effectively uses the sidelines, and plays with outstanding body control.
Sells routes, uses his hands to separate from defenders, and lays out or extends for the difficult catch. Quickly releases off the line of scrimmage, immediately gets to top speed, and plays faster than his 40 time. Extends and snatches the ball out of the air.
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Weaknesses: Tends to gather himself into routes and slows getting into breaks. Loses out in battles. Struggles downfield and isn’t a vertical threat.
Overall: Green is a solid pass catcher with athletic limitations as well as small hands. He has enough ability to make a roster that keeps six receivers.
Want more information on Green? Here’s our expanded scouting report and draft profile: Antoine Green, WR, North Carolina | NFL Draft Scouting Report
Asim Richards, G
Strengths: Three-year starter at left tackle who projects to guard in the NFL. Bends his knees, blocks with leverage, and stays square. Keeps his feet moving, shows ability sliding off the edge, and anchors in pass protection.
Makes good use of angles, adjusts, and shows the ability to shut down speed rushers. Patient, keeps his head on a swivel, and picks up assignments. Strong run blocker who turns defenders off the line. Possesses long arms and big hands.
Weaknesses: Lacks left tackle height. Not quick pulling across the line of scrimmage. Minimally effective blocking on the second level.
Overall: Richards was a terrific pass-blocking LT for North Carolina and is a nice-sized lineman with growth potential. He may not possess the athleticism necessary to be used in a zone-blocking system, yet the ability to turn defenders off the line run blocking and anchor in pass protection will get him several looks from a power-gap offense.
Want more information on Downs? Here’s our expanded scouting report and draft profile: Asim Richards, OT, North Carolina | NFL Draft Scouting Report
Josh Downs, WR
Strengths: Game-impacting receiver who is also a productive punt returner. Quick off the line and has an immediate burst and legitimate deep speed. Shows good route discipline, quickly gets in and out of breaks, and comes back to the ball. Does an incredible job finding the soft spot in the defense or separating from defenders and is impossible to cover at times. Follows the QB across the field to make himself an available target.
Tracks the pass in the air, effectively times receptions, and possesses eye/hand coordination. Lays out to come away with the difficult reception and consistently makes the catch with his hands away from his frame. Possesses strong, quick hands and immediately turns upfield after the catch. Has terrific foot quickness with the ability to beat defenders off the line then throw multiple moves mid-route to come free. Easily adjusts and makes the reception in stride.
Weaknesses: Smaller wideout who will struggle handling jams or press coverage. Lack of height will create mismatches with taller DBs.
Overall: Downs was a productive playmaker at UNC the past two seasons, combining for 195 receptions, 1,364 receiving yards, and 19 TDs. He’s a sensational route runner who consistently separates from defenders and makes the reception with proper fundamentals.
Downs is reliable, yet at the same time, he’s a big-play threat. While he comes with limited size and growth potential, the ability to impact games from a variety of receiver spots will ensure he is selected in the draft’s initial 45 picks.
Want more information on Downs? Here’s our expanded scouting report and draft profile: Josh Downs, WR, North Carolina | NFL Draft Scouting Report
Noah Taylor, LB
Strengths: Athletic, productive LB who breaks down, slides off blocks, and moves well laterally. Remains disciplined with assignments, effectively uses his hands to protect himself, and covers a lot of area on the field. Easily changes direction and gets out to the flat to make plays in space. Gets depth on pass drops and goes sideline to sideline. Forceful upfield on the blitz. Effectively reads and diagnoses plays. Shows ability in coverage.
Weaknesses: Easily out-positioned off the edge by blockers. Must rebound from a serious knee injury.
Overall: Taylor has been a favorite LB prospect of mine since I first saw him as a sophomore at Virginia. He displays a three-down game as a run/pass defender and as a pass rusher. I never felt Taylor got the credit he deserved, but it will now be an uphill battle for him coming off his October knee injury.
Raymond Vohasek, DT
Strengths: Hard-working gap occupier who fires off the snap, plays with good pad level, and holds the point. Explosive, effectively uses his hands, and stands up blockers. Displays good awareness, gets down the line of scrimmage to get after the ball handler, and plays through the whistle.
Weaknesses: Not a penetrating defensive tackle. Poor pass rusher, lacks great upside, and missed half of last season with an upper-body injury.
Overall: Vohasek was a hard-working DT who got the most from his ability and played hard on every down. He possesses the size of a one-gap defender but plays like a two-gap lineman. Vohasek must rebound from his injury and show playmaking ability this summer to have any chance of getting out of camp.
Spencer Rolland, OT
Strengths: Harvard transfer who did a terrific job at RT for UNC last season. Stays square, keeps his feet moving, and easily anchors at the point. Effectively bends his knees for a taller lineman, sets with a wide base, and makes outstanding use of blocking angles. Quickly gets into run blocks, correctly places his hands into defenders, and plays through the whistle. Keeps his head on a swivel and always looks for someone to hit.
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Weaknesses: Lacks balance, overextends, and misses blocks. Lacks footwork in space and struggles to adjust.
Overall: Rolland possesses excellent length and growth potential and has shown a lot of ability the past three seasons. He’s a right tackle prospect who could back up at the next level.