University of North Carolina Athletics
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GoHeels Exclusive: By No Means A Finished Product
April 17, 2020 | Football, Featured Writers
By Pat James, GoHeels.com
Around this time a year ago, shortly after spring ball ended, many of the questions surrounding Chazz Surratt and his move from quarterback to linebacker had been answered.
But even then, Jay Bateman was toying with the idea of blitzing Surratt every play if he didn't gain a better understanding of the position. That's so hard to fathom now, with Surratt coming off one of the best seasons by a North Carolina linebacker in recent memory.
On his way to earning first-team All-ACC honors and finishing second in ACC Defensive Player of the Year voting, Surratt tallied a team-best 115 tackles, the second most in the league. He also led the Tar Heels with 15 tackles for loss and 6.5 sacks.
Since 2005, only five other Power 5 linebackers have posted such numbers in a season. Three went on to be early NFL draft picks, including Ohio State first-rounders A.J. Hawk and Ryan Shazier and Penn State third-rounder Dan Connor. And although he might not have been selected as high as them, Surratt surely would have been taken in this year's draft if he'd left school early.
Come January, though, he decided to stay.
"I just sat down with my parents and we talked about the pros and cons," said Surratt during a videoconference with reporters on Wednesday, his first time speaking with the media since he announced his decision to return for his senior season.
"I felt like coming back with another year of experience under my belt and another year to develop as a linebacker would have been a good choice. So, when I come out in the 2021 draft, I think I'll be a better prospect coming out and boost my grade going into next year's draft."
As part of his decision-making process, Surratt sought feedback from the NFL's College Advisory Committee, which includes high-level personnel evaluators from NFL clubs and directors from the league's two sanctioned scouting organizations. Every draft season, the committee provides free evaluations for up to five players per school. It then places them in one of three categories: potential first-round pick, potential second-round pick or neither – which is effectively a recommendation to stay in school.
Surratt didn't share the details of his evaluation. But he said it influenced his decision.
"Coach (Darrell) Moody has also been a scout in the NFL for a long time," Surratt said, "and he felt I could really raise my grade and be a really top prospect going into next year's draft. So, the difference in value there was a lot for me to want to come back for my last year."
Moody, in his second year as a senior advisor to Mack Brown, spent 17 years as a national and regional scout for the San Diego Chargers (2002-09), Buffalo Bills (2010-14) and San Francisco 49ers (2015-18). In his current role, his responsibilities include assisting with NFL scout consultations and organizing player tryouts and pro days.
Surratt said his conversations with Moody were instrumental.
"I think it's great to have a guy that's been on the other side of the table," said Surratt, the No. 3 inside linebacker prospect for the 2021 draft, according to walterfootball.com. "He knows a lot of guys in the NFL, has a lot of connections and he tells it to you straight up – that's what I love about him.
"He basically told me point-blank, 'I think you can go in the top rounds in the next draft. The difference in the money there is a big difference and if you come back for another year, as long as you keep progressing how you've been progressing, I think you've got a real good shot at doing what you want to do.'"
Surratt's freakish athleticism will certainly appeal to NFL teams, as Bateman has noted. Back in October, he said Surratt "will blow the doors off the NFL combine." And it's hard to believe that won't be the case after another year with head strength and conditioning coach Brian Hess.
Surratt, however, knows he's by no means a finished product.
As much as he improved last season, he showed a tendency to over-pursue ball carriers, leading to a lot of missed tackles that Bateman said he should make. Surratt will likely cut down on those as he gains experience, but he's still made working on his angles to the ball a priority.
Bateman said he's also talked with Surratt about how his ability to shed blocks will be the difference between him being "a really, really good player and a great player." That might not be the easiest thing to get better at amid the coronavirus pandemic. But Bateman knows Surratt is doing everything he can to improve.
"I FaceTimed with him (last) Thursday or Friday, and told him, I think he's doing a great job right now of continuing his education as a linebacker with film work, with the stuff we're doing install-wise," Bateman said this week. "So, I feel really good about how he's progressing. I sat down a couple of times with him before all this started and we were able to watch his mistakes.
"Football makes sense to Chazz; I've said that a bunch. I'm very confident that when we get back, he's going to be a better player than he was when we finished up last year."
And light years away from where he was last spring.
Around this time a year ago, shortly after spring ball ended, many of the questions surrounding Chazz Surratt and his move from quarterback to linebacker had been answered.
But even then, Jay Bateman was toying with the idea of blitzing Surratt every play if he didn't gain a better understanding of the position. That's so hard to fathom now, with Surratt coming off one of the best seasons by a North Carolina linebacker in recent memory.
On his way to earning first-team All-ACC honors and finishing second in ACC Defensive Player of the Year voting, Surratt tallied a team-best 115 tackles, the second most in the league. He also led the Tar Heels with 15 tackles for loss and 6.5 sacks.
Since 2005, only five other Power 5 linebackers have posted such numbers in a season. Three went on to be early NFL draft picks, including Ohio State first-rounders A.J. Hawk and Ryan Shazier and Penn State third-rounder Dan Connor. And although he might not have been selected as high as them, Surratt surely would have been taken in this year's draft if he'd left school early.
Come January, though, he decided to stay.
"I just sat down with my parents and we talked about the pros and cons," said Surratt during a videoconference with reporters on Wednesday, his first time speaking with the media since he announced his decision to return for his senior season.
"I felt like coming back with another year of experience under my belt and another year to develop as a linebacker would have been a good choice. So, when I come out in the 2021 draft, I think I'll be a better prospect coming out and boost my grade going into next year's draft."
As part of his decision-making process, Surratt sought feedback from the NFL's College Advisory Committee, which includes high-level personnel evaluators from NFL clubs and directors from the league's two sanctioned scouting organizations. Every draft season, the committee provides free evaluations for up to five players per school. It then places them in one of three categories: potential first-round pick, potential second-round pick or neither – which is effectively a recommendation to stay in school.
Surratt didn't share the details of his evaluation. But he said it influenced his decision.
"Coach (Darrell) Moody has also been a scout in the NFL for a long time," Surratt said, "and he felt I could really raise my grade and be a really top prospect going into next year's draft. So, the difference in value there was a lot for me to want to come back for my last year."
Moody, in his second year as a senior advisor to Mack Brown, spent 17 years as a national and regional scout for the San Diego Chargers (2002-09), Buffalo Bills (2010-14) and San Francisco 49ers (2015-18). In his current role, his responsibilities include assisting with NFL scout consultations and organizing player tryouts and pro days.
Surratt said his conversations with Moody were instrumental.
"I think it's great to have a guy that's been on the other side of the table," said Surratt, the No. 3 inside linebacker prospect for the 2021 draft, according to walterfootball.com. "He knows a lot of guys in the NFL, has a lot of connections and he tells it to you straight up – that's what I love about him.
"He basically told me point-blank, 'I think you can go in the top rounds in the next draft. The difference in the money there is a big difference and if you come back for another year, as long as you keep progressing how you've been progressing, I think you've got a real good shot at doing what you want to do.'"
Surratt's freakish athleticism will certainly appeal to NFL teams, as Bateman has noted. Back in October, he said Surratt "will blow the doors off the NFL combine." And it's hard to believe that won't be the case after another year with head strength and conditioning coach Brian Hess.
Surratt, however, knows he's by no means a finished product.
As much as he improved last season, he showed a tendency to over-pursue ball carriers, leading to a lot of missed tackles that Bateman said he should make. Surratt will likely cut down on those as he gains experience, but he's still made working on his angles to the ball a priority.
Bateman said he's also talked with Surratt about how his ability to shed blocks will be the difference between him being "a really, really good player and a great player." That might not be the easiest thing to get better at amid the coronavirus pandemic. But Bateman knows Surratt is doing everything he can to improve.
"I FaceTimed with him (last) Thursday or Friday, and told him, I think he's doing a great job right now of continuing his education as a linebacker with film work, with the stuff we're doing install-wise," Bateman said this week. "So, I feel really good about how he's progressing. I sat down a couple of times with him before all this started and we were able to watch his mistakes.
"Football makes sense to Chazz; I've said that a bunch. I'm very confident that when we get back, he's going to be a better player than he was when we finished up last year."
And light years away from where he was last spring.
Players Mentioned
Linebacker
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