While the rest of the sports world continues to stand still amidst the coronavirus pandemic, the NFL Draft begins Thursday night and will go on through this weekend in a virtual manner. A pair of former UNC standouts are among those expected to hear their names called.
Defensive lineman Jason Strowbridge and offensive tackle Charlie Heck each put together fantastic seasons as seniors in 2019 and went on to impress scouts in the pre-draft process. In anticipation of the biggest moment of their respective football careers, both players spoke with the media via Zoom earlier in the week to address what lies ahead.
For Strowbridge, the ability to play multiple positions on the defensive line is his biggest selling point to NFL teams. The Florida native primarily played on the inside for UNC early in the season, but began to shift more to the outside by the end of the year—finishing with a career-high 44 tackles to go along with 2.5 sacks and three fumble recoveries.
He flashed that versatility in a big way at the Senior Bowl against other potential NFL draftees following the season, before going on to post respectable numbers at the scouting combine. A mock draft by CBS in late March projected Strowbridge as a late third-round pick, a huge improvement from anything expected of him heading into the 2019 campaign.
Offensive tackle Charlie Heck is one of two Tar Heels widely expected to be selected in the 2020 NFL Draft this weekend. (Photo via Dakota Moyer)
“It just starts with just taking advantage of every opportunity I got,” Strowbridge said. “I got the Senior Bowl invite, that was huge. And going into that I just wanted to show coaches that I’m versatile, I can move around, I’ve got a high mode out of this. I just put my best foot forward in every opportunity. And then same thing at the combine, just doing everything that I can, just showing them my athleticism.”
On the other side of the ball, Heck has been arguably UNC’s most important offensive lineman in recent years—starting 34 games over the last three seasons. At 6-foot-8 and 315 pounds, he possesses the size necessary to succeed at the next level while pairing it with solid technique that helped him earn Second Team All-ACC honors in 2019.
As the left tackle protecting the blindside for freshman quarterback Sam Howell, Heck allowed only one-third of a sack last season.
In addition, Heck comes from a family of talented offensive linemen. His dad, Andy, is the offensive line coach for the Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs and a former NFL starter, while his brother, Jon, was a standout at UNC as well.
Heck did participate at the NFL’s scouting combine in February, but the pandemic forced UNC to cancel its pro day—causing Heck to miss out on a valuable chance to improve his stock. Right now, he is expected to be picked on the third day of the draft, anywhere between the fourth and seventh rounds.
“The reality is I’m going to end up getting some type of opportunity with some type of team,” Heck said. “It doesn’t matter when or where that is, but I’m gonna have an opportunity and that just comes down to being a football player. And, once you’re in camp, there’s no more, ‘Oh, what’d he run the 40 in? How many bench reps did he get?’ It’s about being a football player, so right now I’m just training to be the best football player that I can be.”
With teams limited in their ability to work players out and conduct in-person meetings, this draft in particular is especially hard to project. For guys like Heck and Strowbridge, though, where they are selected is of little importance.
“It’s been a dream of mine, since I can remember, playing in the NFL, and if I can hear my name called or Strow’s name or any other UNC teammates I’m going to feel this huge sense of pride and joy because it’s something we’ve worked for,” Heck said.
Photo via Dakota Moyer
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