GoHeels Exclusive: Pro Day

Cole Holcomb
University of North Carolina Football
ProTiming Day
Indoor Practice Facility
Chapel Hill, NC
Monday, March 25, 2019

Photo by: Jeffrey A. Camarati

March 26, 2019 | Football, Featured Writers

By: Pat James

By Pat James, GoHeels.com

With the NFL Draft a month away, representatives from 28 of the NFL's 32 teams flocked to Chapel Hill on Monday for North Carolina football's annual pro day.

Ten former Tar Heels participated in this year's event, held inside UNC's new Indoor Practice Facility. Over two hours, they ran the 40-yard dash, along with various shuttle runs and the three-cone drill, before going through a series of position-specific drills.

The former players who participated Monday were long snapper Tommy Bancroft, safety J.K. Britt, defensive end Malik Carney, defensive tackle Jeremiah Clarke, defensive tackle Jalen Dalton, linebacker Cole Holcomb, punter Hunter Lent, defensive lineman Tyler Powell, wide receiver Anthony Ratliff-Williams and offensive tackle William Sweet.

Afterward, Carney, Ratliff-Williams and Sweet spoke with reporters. Here are a few notes from what they had to say:

Secure the bag. 💰#ProHeels | #CarolinaFootball pic.twitter.com/9Yhcznn300
— Carolina Football (@TarHeelFootball) March 26, 2019

Carney update

At the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis earlier this month, Carney completed 25 reps on the 225-pound bench press, matching the third most by any edge rusher. He also ran the 40-yard dash in 4.73 seconds, the 14th-fastest time by any edge rusher.

But wanting to prove he's faster than that, Carney opted to run the 40-yard dash again Monday.

"I'm a competitor," said Carney, who hadn't yet received his official time when he spoke with reporters. "I know I can run faster and I wanted to show that. Just competing. Just wanted to run that 40 and get that time lower. That's why I ran it (again)."

Carney, who came in at 6-foot-2 and 251 pounds at the Combine, started his Carolina career as a linebacker before moving to defensive end. He said scouts are studying him at both positions.

"Some of them say I can play the outside 3-4 linebacker position," he said. "Also, some see me as a (defensive) end. Just bulk up a little bit. I'd be great with playing either one. I'm versatile to play either or play that stack linebacker, outside, that true outside linebacker position and be effective at it."

Throughout college, Carney was a disruptive presence on the defensive line. He was especially effective as a senior last season, tallying the most defensive stops (40) among draft-eligible ACC edge defenders, according to Pro Football Focus (PFF). The website defines a stop as a play where a defender makes a tackle and the location of the tackle means the play is a "win" for the defense.

Despite playing in only eight of UNC's 11 games, Carney still led the team in sacks (6.5), tackles for loss (12.5) and forced fumbles (5).

Carney didn't post any of those numbers for Mack Brown, who was named the Tar Heels' head coach three days after Carney's last game in a Carolina uniform. But Carney said he's connected with Brown.

"Talking to Mack Brown, he's a great guy," Carney said. "He welcomed everybody with open arms. I feel like I played for him even though I didn't, but that's how he opened up his arms to me. Had a great chat with him during practice when I came back. Just a great guy. I feel comfortable being back with him being the coach."

Ratliff-Williams update

When Ratliff-Williams decided to forego his final season of college eligibility and enter the NFL Draft, he said he expected to attend the Combine. But he ultimately wasn't among the 48 receivers who received an invitation.

That, he said, motivated him as he trained at Mamba Sports Academy in Thousand Oaks, Calif. And he continued using it as fuel on Monday.

"That hurt a little bit," Ratliff-Williams said. "But it is what it is. I came out here to work and just prove that I belong. That's what I came out here to do. I feel like I did that I mean, things happen. So, you've got to move past it, move forward and you can't really dwell on what happened in the past. And I don't."

After transitioning from quarterback to receiver, Ratliff-Williams caught 77 passes for 1,319 yards and eight touchdowns in his final two seasons at UNC. He was also a lethal threat in the return game, returning 69 kickoffs for 1,631 yards (23.6 yards per return) and two touchdowns during his three-year career.

Ratliff-Williams said his decision to leave the Tar Heels "was definitely a tough one." But given what he'd accomplished, he felt at ease with it.

"I felt like I maximized my time here," he said. "I mean, I graduated in three and a half years, I played over 1,000 snaps and I kind of gave everything I could to this program, and I felt like my time was now to contribute to a team and get paid to play in the NFL. It wasn't like it was the coaching change or anything like that that motivated me to do so. I was just ready to play football at the next level, and I'm trying to do so now."

Ratliff-Williams echoed Carney's thoughts about Brown, saying the Hall of Fame coach told him "the school is behind (him) no matter what." Other lettermen have heard the same message, including many of whom Ratliff-Williams has spoke with as he's gone through the draft process.

"We've got Naz Jones, T.J. Logan who were here today," Ratliff-Williams said. "Mack Hollins, Ryan Switzer, Bug Howard, Austin Proehl, so on and so forth. You could name them. I've been in their phone asking them what was it like for them, what were they expected to do when they were going from private workouts to Pro Day and combines, and they kept it honest with me. They kept it legit with me, and I appreciate them from the bottom of my heart."

Sweet update

Like Carney, Sweet entered Monday with something to prove following his performance at the Combine.

"I definitely wanted to improve on the bench (press)," he said. "I wasn't pleased with my performance on the bench in Indianapolis, so I definitely did a lot better, did much better today. And that's what it's all about. Just improving, constantly improving and getting better results."

After completing 23 reps on the bench press at the Combine, Sweet said he did 28 on Monday. Only eight of the 47 offensive linemen who participated in the bench press at the Combine exceeded that total.

Sweet appeared in all 13 games as a redshirt freshman in 2016 and started the first three games of his sophomore campaign before suffering a season-ending knee injury. But in his return last season, he was dominant.

According to PFF, he allowed just three combined sacks and hits and only 11 total pressures on 398 snaps in pass protection. He also posted the top run-blocking grade (72.8) among ACC offensive tackles. Those accomplishments earned him a spot on PFF's All-ACC first team.

After graduating, Sweet said he spoke with his family and coaches before deciding to forego his final season of college eligibility. But he won't forget his time at UNC.

"It means everything to me," Sweet said. "They gave me an opportunity coming out of high school, coming out of Florida, to showcase my ability both on and off the field. I recognized at 16, 17 years old what it means to be a part of that Carolina network. Best decision I ever made."