UNC Football

North Carolina wide receiver Josh Downs confirmed to ESPN's Pete Thamel he's entering the 2023 NFL draft.

Downs caught 202 passes for 2,483 yards and 22 touchdowns in three years with the Tar Heels. He was a first-team All-ACC honoree in 2021 and 2022.

The 5'10", 175-pound wideout is the No. 60 overall player on Bleacher Report's 2023 big board. He's also the seventh-best receiver with an overall grade of 7.4 out of 10.

Downs told Thamel he believes he's the "best wide receiver in the draft."

"I just feel like when you turn on the tape, I consistently win over and over and make plays with the ball when it comes my way," he said.

Perhaps Downs could've improved his draft stock for 2024 by returning to North Carolina for one more year, but that was no guarantee.

Although starting quarterback Drake Maye announced his intention to return, the Tar Heels are losing their offensive coordinator. Phil Longo, the architect behind their prolific offense, is leaving to join Luke Fickell's staff at Wisconsin. Having to learn a new offense is never ideal for a college star hoping to impress NFL scouts.

Downs will have plenty of competition to be one of the first few receivers off the board this spring.

Ohio State's Jaxon Smith-Njigba didn't feature much this season because of a hamstring injury, but that did little to change how he's viewed as an NFL prospect. USC's Jordan Addison was the 2021 Biletnikoff Award winner, though his production (59 receptions, 875 yards and eight touchdowns) failed to match last year's.

Downs and his fellow pass-catchers did get a bit of a boost when LSU star Kayshon Boutte confirmed he will return to the Tigers for one more season. Boutte ranked sixth at the position on B/R's big board.

The North Carolina Tar Heels defeated the Appalachian State Mountaineers 63-61 on Saturday to move to 2-0 on the season, and head coach Mack Brown is more than happy with the victory despite his team allowing 40 points in the fourth quarter.

"You take a win and go," Brown told reporters after the game. "We were underdogs and hadn't won a road game all of last year, so anybody who thinks I'm going to be mad or disappointed over this one doesn't understand coaching. I'm excited to win against a really good team on the road."

The Tar Heels entered the fourth quarter up 41-21 and added another 22 points in the final frame. However, the team's defense struggled to contain Mountaineers quarterback Chase Brice in the fourth quarter.

Brice led Appalachian State on a whopping six touchdown drives in the game's final 15 minutes, and the Mountaineers would have tied the game at 63 had he not been stopped while trying to rush into the end zone on a two-point conversion.

Brice completed 25-of-38 passes for 361 yards, six touchdowns and one interception. He also rushed for 36 yards.

UNC freshman quarterback Drake Maye, meanwhile, completed 24-of-36 passes for 352 yards and four touchdowns. He also rushed for 76 yards and one touchdown.

It's clear that Maye and the offense have things under control, especially considering this is the second straight week they have posted at least 56 points. Last week, the Tar Heels defeated Florida A&M 56-24.

The defense, on the other hand, has some work to do ahead of next weekend's game against Georgia State.

Brown has coached North Carolina since 2019, going 23-17. He led the team to a win in the Military Bowl in his first season, but it has lost each of its last two bowl games.

The 71-year-old previously coached the Tar Heels from 1988-97 and is 92-63-1 in 14 total seasons with the team. Considering all of his experience, UNC should be just fine moving forward.

The only quarterback selected in Round 1 of the 2022 NFL draft on Thursday was Pittsburgh's Kenny Pickett, whom the Pittsburgh Steelers drafted with the No. 20 pick. That said, let's take a look at where North Carolina's Sam Howell and Ole Miss' Matt Corral could end up on Day 2. 

Peter Schrager of Fox Sports reported before the draft began that the Tennessee Titans, Carolina Panthers and Detroit Lions were "most often linked as potential quarterback teams" in Round 1. 

That said, those teams could be looking for a quarterback in the second round. In terms of specifics, the Lions could select Corral with the No. 46 overall pick, and the Saints could select Howell with the 49th overall pick.

The Lions aren't necessarily confident that Jared Goff can be their quarterback of the future, so it would not be surprising if the franchise selected a quarterback in Round 2. 

Detroit acquired Goff in the deal that sent Matthew Stafford to the Los Angeles Rams, and he didn't show much improvement from his inconsistent days out west. The 27-year-old completed 67.2 percent of his passes for 3,245 yards and 19 touchdowns against eight interceptions in 14 games. 

That said, Corral could be an intriguing option for the Lions. The 23-year-old was impressive in his fourth season at Ole Miss, which was his second under head coach Lane Kiffin. He completed 67.9 percent of his passes for 3,349 yards and 20 touchdowns against five interceptions, in addition to rushing for 614 yards and 11 scores. 

ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr. (h/t Sports Illustrated) noted in March that he didn't see Goff being Detroit's future and projected the Lions to select Corral in the draft. He added that the Rebels quarterback "throws a ball with some zip" and "is extremely tough," but mentioned a concern being that college coaches didn't ask him to make a lot of reads, which would be an adjustment for him at the NFL level.

Even if the Lions were to select Corral, he would likely spend at least one year learning and developing under Goff. He is nowhere near ready to be a starter in the NFL and would benefit from a year on the sidelines.

Moving on to Howell, he would be a good fit for a New Orleans team looking for a quarterback for the future following Drew Brees' retirement after the 2020 season. 

The Saints relied on Jameis Winston for seven games in 2021 until he suffered a torn ACL. They then tried Ian Book, Trevor Siemian and Taysom Hill under center, but none thrived for the franchise. 

Winston is back for the 2022 season and will likely start regardless if the team drafts a quarterback. However, it's unclear if the Saints view him as their long-term quarterback. 

Howell was viewed as one of the better passers in this year's draft, but his 2021 performance caused some concern. He completed 62.5 percent of his passes for 3,056 yards and 24 touchdowns against nine interceptions, all of which are down from his 2020 performance. 

That said, Howell has tremendous upside and might be worth taking a chance on. 

B/R's NFL Scouting Department notes that Howell has a "good build," is a tough runner, has good arm strength and above-average accuracy. Those traits would help him fit in well in New Orleans. 

North Carolina quarterback Sam Howell is drawing comparison to one former NFL quarterback leading up to the 2022 draft, and that might not be a great thing. 

The Athletic's Jeff Howe interviewed one general manager, four executives and two offensive coaches in his Monday article, and one said Howell "reminds me of Tim Tebow."

While Howell is considered one of the better quarterbacks available in the 2022 draft, he's ranked behind Kenny Pickett, Matt Corral, Desmond Ridder and Malik Willis in ESPN's latest quarterback projections. 

The 21-year-old was a starter in each of his three seasons for the Tar Heels, but he took a step backward as a passer during the 2021 season. He completed 62.5 percent of his passes for 3,056 yards and 24 touchdowns against nine interceptions in 12 games. 

For comparison, Howell completed 68.1 percent of his passes in 2020 for 3,586 yards and 30 touchdowns against seven interceptions in the same number of games. 

Bleacher Report's NFL Scouting Department notes that Howell's strengths are his arm strength, accuracy, deep passing skills. He also has great athleticism and can run the ball well.

B/R's Scouting Department lists Howell's height (6'0⅝") and throwing motion as some of the negatives of his game. 

Tebow had some of the same strengths and weaknesses after four seasons with the Florida Gators. He had an awkward throwing motion but good strength and running ability. 

The No. 25 overall draft pick in 2010, Tebow's NFL career was short as he struggled to adapt at the next level. In 35 games across three seasons with the Denver Broncos and New York Jets, he completed just 47.9 percent of his passes for 2,422 yards and 17 touchdowns against nine interceptions. He was much better with his legs, rushing for 989 yards and 12 scores. 

If Howell is unable to adjust, he could find himself in a similar situation. That said, he's drawing a good amount of interest entering the draft, having met with the Pittsburgh Steelers, New Orleans Saints, New York Giants, Indianapolis Colts, Carolina Panthers and Atlanta Falcons.