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Drake Maye
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Draft Arrives For Tar Heel NFL Hopefuls
April 24, 2024 | Football
2024 NFL Draft Info To Know
April 25-27 in Detroit, Mich.
TV coverage: ESPN, ABC, NFL Network
Schedule
• Round 1: Thursday, April 25, 8 p.m. ET
• Rounds 2-3: Friday, April 26, 7 p.m. ET
• Rounds 4-7: Saturday, April 27, noon ET
The 2024 NFL Draft begins on Thursday in Detroit, and Carolina is expected to make a big impact throughout the weekend's festivities.
Tar Heel quarterback Drake Maye is among the top-rated players available in the Draft and is expected to be picked early in the first round. As a redshirt sophomore in 2023, Maye completed over 63 percent of his passes for 3,608 yards and 24 touchdowns with only nine interceptions. He also ran for 449 yards and nine more scores and ended the season with a quarterback rating of 149.00. Maye was a finalist for the Manning Award in 2023 after being the ACC Player of the Year and ACC Offensive Player of the Year in '22.
Maye is not the only Tar Heel who could be picked this weekend.
Devontez Walker is among the ACC's top wide receiver prospects. Appearing in just eight games after winning his eligibility from the NCAA, Walker still caught 41 passes for 699 yards and seven touchdowns to earn third-team All-ACC accolades.
Linebacker Cedric Gray was a first-team All-ACC pick and a semifinalist for the Butkus Award after leading UNC and finishing second in the ACC with 121 tackles in 2023. In his career, Gray was a two-time first-team All-ACC selection and a second-team All-America in 2022.
Defensive lineman Myles Murphy grabbed honorable mention All-ACC honors in 2023 after posting 24 tackles, a sack, 4.5 tackles for loss, two quarterback pressures and a fumble recovery in 13 starts. In 52 career games, Murphy posted 99 tackles, seven sacks and 17 TFL.
Running back British Brooks appeared in 12 games and rushed for 375 yards with two touchdowns in 2023. He was named the ACC running back of the week in early September after rushing 15 times for 103 yards with three catches for 18 more yards in the season opener against South Carolina. In total, Brooks appeared in 52 games as a Tar Heel and rushed for 836 yards and seven TDs. He was a special teams standout, earning the team's Special Teams MVP twice.
Carolina has a number of addiitional players hoping to hear their names called over the weekend. They include OL William Barnes, DB Gio Biggers, DB Don Chapman, DL Tomari Fox, LB Amari Gainer, OL Corey Gaynor, P Ben Kiernan, DS Drew Little, OL Ed Montilus and OL Spencer Rolland.
Carolina has produced 251 all-time NFL Draft selections, including 24 first-round picks. UNC has had eight first-round picks since 2008, third-most in the ACC behind Clemson (17) and Florida State (12).
Nine Tar Heels have been picked in the top 10 of the NFL Draft, including Ken Willard (No. 2 in 1965), Hall of Famer Lawrence Taylor (No. 2 in 1981), Hall of Famer Julius Peppers (No. 2 in 2002), Mitch Trubisky (No. 2 in 2017), Ken Huff (No. 3 in 1975), Ryan Sims (No. 6 in 2002), Jonathan Cooper (No. 7 in 2013), Greg Ellis (No. 8 in 1998) and Eric Ebron (No. 10 in 2014).
April 25-27 in Detroit, Mich.
TV coverage: ESPN, ABC, NFL Network
Schedule
• Round 1: Thursday, April 25, 8 p.m. ET
• Rounds 2-3: Friday, April 26, 7 p.m. ET
• Rounds 4-7: Saturday, April 27, noon ET
The 2024 NFL Draft begins on Thursday in Detroit, and Carolina is expected to make a big impact throughout the weekend's festivities.
Tar Heel quarterback Drake Maye is among the top-rated players available in the Draft and is expected to be picked early in the first round. As a redshirt sophomore in 2023, Maye completed over 63 percent of his passes for 3,608 yards and 24 touchdowns with only nine interceptions. He also ran for 449 yards and nine more scores and ended the season with a quarterback rating of 149.00. Maye was a finalist for the Manning Award in 2023 after being the ACC Player of the Year and ACC Offensive Player of the Year in '22.
Maye is not the only Tar Heel who could be picked this weekend.
Devontez Walker is among the ACC's top wide receiver prospects. Appearing in just eight games after winning his eligibility from the NCAA, Walker still caught 41 passes for 699 yards and seven touchdowns to earn third-team All-ACC accolades.
Linebacker Cedric Gray was a first-team All-ACC pick and a semifinalist for the Butkus Award after leading UNC and finishing second in the ACC with 121 tackles in 2023. In his career, Gray was a two-time first-team All-ACC selection and a second-team All-America in 2022.
Defensive lineman Myles Murphy grabbed honorable mention All-ACC honors in 2023 after posting 24 tackles, a sack, 4.5 tackles for loss, two quarterback pressures and a fumble recovery in 13 starts. In 52 career games, Murphy posted 99 tackles, seven sacks and 17 TFL.
Running back British Brooks appeared in 12 games and rushed for 375 yards with two touchdowns in 2023. He was named the ACC running back of the week in early September after rushing 15 times for 103 yards with three catches for 18 more yards in the season opener against South Carolina. In total, Brooks appeared in 52 games as a Tar Heel and rushed for 836 yards and seven TDs. He was a special teams standout, earning the team's Special Teams MVP twice.
Carolina has a number of addiitional players hoping to hear their names called over the weekend. They include OL William Barnes, DB Gio Biggers, DB Don Chapman, DL Tomari Fox, LB Amari Gainer, OL Corey Gaynor, P Ben Kiernan, DS Drew Little, OL Ed Montilus and OL Spencer Rolland.
Carolina has produced 251 all-time NFL Draft selections, including 24 first-round picks. UNC has had eight first-round picks since 2008, third-most in the ACC behind Clemson (17) and Florida State (12).
Nine Tar Heels have been picked in the top 10 of the NFL Draft, including Ken Willard (No. 2 in 1965), Hall of Famer Lawrence Taylor (No. 2 in 1981), Hall of Famer Julius Peppers (No. 2 in 2002), Mitch Trubisky (No. 2 in 2017), Ken Huff (No. 3 in 1975), Ryan Sims (No. 6 in 2002), Jonathan Cooper (No. 7 in 2013), Greg Ellis (No. 8 in 1998) and Eric Ebron (No. 10 in 2014).
Good luck to this great group of Tar Heels as they start their NFL journeys 🐏
— Carolina Football (@UNCFootball) April 24, 2024
Thanks for all you did for Carolina!#CarolinaFootball 🏈 #ProHeels pic.twitter.com/v0nBfaHpUT
Players Mentioned
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Wide Receiver
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