The first Tar Heel to hear his name called in the 2022 NFL Draft may not have been who fans expected.

Offensive lineman Joshua Ezeudu was selected with the No. 67 overall pick by the New York Giants, before either Sam Howell or Ty Chandler.

Ezeudu started 28 games in three full seasons on the offensive line at Carolina, and earned All-ACC nods during his sophomore and junior years. With Ezeudu leading the way, the Tar Heels featured one of the nation’s most explosive offenses, averaging 35 points and 468 total yards per game in 2021, both of which were top 20 in the nation.

Ezeudu’s selection in the third round of the draft is the highest for a UNC offensive lineman since Jonathan Cooper went No. 8 overall to the Arizona Cardinals in 2013. Ezeudu is also the first UNC offensive lineman to be drafted at all since Charlie Heck went in the fourth round to the Houston Texans in 2020.

Day three of the draft saw Ezeudu reunited on the offensive line with teammate Marcus McKethan, who the Giants selected with the No. 173 overall pick.

Like Ezeudu, McKethan was a three-year starter on the line in Chapel Hill, and earned All-ACC honorable mention nods in his junior and senior seasons. McKethan was named ACC Offensive Lineman of the Week twice in 2021, and in a startling bit of trivia, played exactly 887 snaps in both his junior and senior years.

Ezeudu and McKethan might experience a bit of a culture shock with the Giants, as they will be responsible for blocking for quarterback Daniel Jones, who starred at rival Duke during the early part of the pair’s Carolina careers. They will be the second and third Tar Heels on the Giants’ current roster, joining running back Antonio Williams.

The 2022 NFL Draft is being held in Las Vegas, and will run through Saturday.

 

Featured image via 247 Sports

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