UNC Football

HEIGHT: 5'9"

WEIGHT: 171

HAND: 9 1/4"

ARM: 30 3/8"

WINGSPAN: TBD

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40-YARD DASH: 4.48

3-CONE: TBD

SHUTTLE: TBD

VERTICAL: 38.5

BROAD: 10'11"

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POSITIVES

— Good downfield speed. Reasonable deep threat.

— Above-average foot speed and quickness at the top of his routes.

— Smooth mover between zones; excels at finding soft spots for the QB.

— Good YAC threat due to change-of-direction skills and speed.

— Good hands in traffic for his size. Comfortable playing with bodies around.

— Willing blocker.

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NEGATIVES

— Small build; play strength suffers greatly.

— Slot-only player due to size and strength issues.

— Can struggle to leap and pinpoint the ball at its highest point. Not a vertical ball-winner.

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2022 STATISTICS

— 11 GM, 94 REC, 1,029 YDS (10.9 AVG), 11 TD

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NOTES

— Born August 12, 2001

— 4-star recruit in 2020 class

— 23 starts over three seasons

— 2021 and 2022 first-team All-ACC

— Missed two games of 2022 season with a lower body injury

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OVERALL

Josh Downs is a stock-standard slot receiver with just enough wiggle and catch-in-traffic ability to be a steady contributor in the NFL.

Due to his small build, Downs was locked into a slot role at North Carolina and will be again in the NFL. Downs doesn't have the size or strength to beat press or survive on the sideline, at least not consistently. Those size issues also crop up when it comes to playing the ball in the air. Downs does not have great leaping ability, nor does he excel at extending his hands to find the ball at its highest point and fight through contact to do so. All of those shortcomings limit Downs to the slot, which hurts his ceiling as a prospect.

That being said, Downs is a nifty slot receiver. Downs plays with above-average twitch and foot speed, a combination that allows him to win fairly consistently on slants, whip routes, square-ins and speed outs. Downs also has enough raw speed to threaten as a field-stretcher, both horizontally and vertically. He can run shallow crossing routes to stress defenses with speed-based YAC underneath as well as flash the ability to burn down the middle of the field between the numbers. Moreover, Downs does well to sift through zones and find soft spots in the coverage, making him an easy target.

Downs also has the toughness required of a slot receiver. He isn't scared to catch passes in between defenders and play in traffic. Downs regularly flashes great hand-eye coordination and strong hands over the middle of the field, at least so long as he does not need to get too high in the air to catch the pass. Downs' toughness also extends to his blocking skills. He doesn't always have the strength to stay attached and finish blocks, but he's more than willing to get after it and get in the way.

Downs will find success in the 1-to-10-yard area as a pro with occasional stints as a downfield threat. Though he does not have one overwhelming trait, Downs' route-running savvy, quickness and toughness make him a viable starting slot receiver in the NFL.

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GRADE: 7.2 (High-Level Backup or Potential Starter)

OVERALL RANK: 71

POSITION RANK: WR9

PRO COMPARISON: Thinner Jamison Crowder

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Written by B/R NFL Scout Derrik Klassen

It turns out North Carolina quarterback Drake Maye wasn't offered $5 million to transfer.

"Those rumors weren't really reality," he said, per Pete Thamel of ESPN. "Pitt's coach ended up putting that out there. I don't know what that was about. You have to enter the transfer portal to talk to these schools and hear these offers. For me, I think college football is going to turn into a mess. They're going to have to do something. There was nothing to me or my family directly offered from any of these other schools. Nothing was said or offered to the Mayes."

Thamel noted Pittsburgh head coach Pat Narduzzi said that two different schools offered the Tar Heels signal-caller $5 million to transfer to their programs.

Maye's connection with North Carolina goes beyond his own decision to remain with the football team.

His parents graduated from the school, his brother Luke played basketball at the program, and another brother, Beau, is a walk-on for this season's Tar Heels basketball program and Drake's current roommate.

"It wouldn't sit right, especially with all my family." Maye said of potentially leaving. "Switching it up after everything the Mayes went through wouldn't represent what the university means to me or how much it means for me to go there. It'd mess up the mojo and all we've built there. That Carolina blue is special. There's no other color in the world that meaningful."

Maye will see some financial benefit to remaining at UNC, as Thamel noted the quarterback reached a name, image and likeness deal with the school's Heels4Life program that pays him and will feature a charity component.

What's more, head coach Mack Brown made sure Maye was involved in the program's search for a new offensive coordinator before it settled on UCF's Chip Lindsey.

Maye's return is welcome news for the Tar Heels after his breakout season.

He finished 10th in Heisman Trophy voting while completing 67.2 percent of his passes for 4,115 yards, 35 touchdowns and seven interceptions to go with 653 yards and seven scores on the ground.

The Tar Heels earned a spot in the ACC Championship Game, where they lost to Clemson to fall to 9-4. It was just the second time since the 1997 season the team reached the nine-win mark, and it will have the opportunity to finish strong with a Holiday Bowl matchup against Oregon.

Expectations will be elevated during the 2023 campaign as well after North Carolina came one win away from a conference crown and kept its star quarterback despite some speculation he could head elsewhere this offseason.

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

born, bred, dead.. 💙 pic.twitter.com/3TEnDBryUz

— Glory to God. (@JoshDowns) December 9, 2022

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.