In the wake of the 2020 NFL Draft, seven former members of the North Carolina football team will enter the professional ranks with a chance to make an NFL roster as rookies.
Two players — offensive tackle Charlie Heck and defensive end Jason Strowbridge — were selected during the draft’s seven rounds, while four more signed with teams as undrafted free agents and one received a training camp invite.
The first player to go was Heck, who was picked up by the Houston Texans in the fourth round. Heck was a force in his final year as a Tar Heel, allowing only one-third of a sack all season and leading the team with 43 knockdowns. Under Heck’s leadership, the offensive line blossomed, contributing to an attack that averaged 285.8 passing yards and 188.2 rushing yards per game, good for third and fourth in the ACC, respectively, and earning Heck second-team All-ACC honors in 2019.
Heck is entering a Texans team that needs offensive line help. For the last two years, Houston has finished in the bottom half of the league in both adjusted line yards — a measurement of the offensive line’s contribution to the run game — and sacks, allowing 45 in 2019 and a league-worst 62 in 2018.
With some improvement, Heck could develop into Houston’s swing tackle of the future and improve a struggling offensive line.
In the fifth round, the Tar Heels had their second and final player selected when the Miami Dolphins picked Strowbridge. Strowbridge was a solid player throughout his stint in Chapel Hill, and his senior season continued that trend. He registered a career-high 45 tackles, 6.5 tackles-for-loss, three sacks and jointly led the ACC with three fumble recoveries — all of this en route to being named third team All-ACC. He made an impact on special teams, blocking four kicks during his time as a Tar Heel.
Strowbridge will be part of a revamped Dolphins defensive line. Last season, the team gave up 29.4 points-per-game and only had 23 sacks — both league worsts. To fix these problems, the Dolphins put together an impressive offseason, signing high-profile edge rushers like linebacker Kyle Van Noy and defensive ends Shaq Lawson and Emmanuel Ogbah.
With a defensive line filled with fresh faces in Miami, Strowbridge could be an important piece in a rotating edge rush. Even if he doesn’t start, he will likely still get significant snaps, and an opportunity to learn from more experienced players.
UNC also had four players sign with teams as undrafted free agents: linebacker Dominique Ross, defensive lineman Aaron Crawford, running back Antonio Williams and safety Myles Dorn. Dorn led UNC with six pass breakups and had the third-most tackles on the team during his senior campaign, which saw him selected as an honorable mention All-ACC player.
