North Carolina
How North Carolina Developed Its 2026 NFL Draft Class
Last season, the North Carolina Tar Heels massively underwhelmed in Bill Belichick’s first season as the head coach. In the 73-year-old head coach’s inaugural campaign, North Carolina went 4-8 and finished 14th in the ACC.
While the Tar Heels were one of the most disappointing teams in 2025, they have multiple players expected to be selected at some point in the 2026 NFL Draft. In the upcoming draft, defensive backs Thaddeus Dixon and Marcus Allen are the most notable Tar Heels in this year’s class. Here is a look at how North Carolina has developed its players who have entered the 2026 NFL Draft.
Belichick’s Influence
Throughout Belichick’s career, he has developed elite defensive players, and while that wasn’t evident last season, his influence has extended to the coaching staff, with Steve Belichick as the defensive coordinator.
Dixon, who is projected as a Day 3 pick, spoke on Belichick’s impact and how his ideologies and practices on the defensive side of the ball are more advanced than those typically seen in college.
- “Being around a dude like that, with so much football knowledge, who could coach all 22 positions on the field – it was really a blessing,” Dixon said. “Coach Bill Belichick does a lot. He cares a lot about the game and about his players. I learned so much – stuff that can never be taken away from me, stuff I can take into the league.”
- “He runs his program like an NFL team,” Dixon continued. “He treats us like men – not really as college athletes, but as grown men. He gives us the freedom to do what we need to do to take care of our business. Obviously, that freedom can be taken away at any time, but it’s about being a professional each and every day – the way he goes about his days, with afternoon practices and meetings and stuff like that. It really sets us up to be in position for stuff like this.”
Increased Opportunities
With a slew of injuries to the secondary, including Dixon, who missed seven games last season, North Carolina was forced to deploy multiple defensive backs out of position. In turn, Dixon also filled several roles in the depleted secondary.
As for Allen, he proved to be a sticky defender in man-to-man coverage, which is monumental at the next level. Defenses have shifted to operating more often in zone defenses, but in key situations and pivotal moments, defensive coordinators lean on cornerbacks to lock down their assignments in blitz packages.
A historic site in Kinston is preserving the legacy of Richard Caswell, North Carolina’s first governor and one of the city’s founders.
The Richard Caswell Memorial site marks where Caswell is buried alongside some of his children and highlights his role in shaping both the city and the state.
Matthew Young, the site’s museum manager, said Caswell was widely respected for his character.
“They viewed him as a man with integrity, as a man of honesty,” Young said.
Young said Caswell helped sponsor a bill in the state legislature to set aside land for what would become Kings Town, which later became Kinston after the “g” was dropped following the American Revolution.
Caswell moved to North Carolina from Maryland at age 16. He later started a family and held several military and elected positions.
“He helps guide the state through the Revolutionary War,” Young said.
Caswell went on to serve as North Carolina’s first governor under the new state constitution at age 47. He served four terms and later was reelected for three more terms beginning in 1784.
He died at age 60, leaving behind a legacy that continues to shape the state.
“He’s the father of Kinston and in many ways he is a founding father of North Carolina,” Young said.
The story is part of an ongoing series highlighting America’s 250th anniversary.
The NC Lottery offers several draw games for those aiming to win big.
Here’s a look at Wednesday, May 6, 2026 results for each game:
Winning Powerball numbers from May 6 drawing
18-27-51-65-68, Powerball: 05, Power Play: 3
Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Pick 3 numbers from May 6 drawing
Day: 1-5-8, Fireball: 5
Evening: 4-5-6, Fireball: 3
Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Pick 4 numbers from May 6 drawing
Day: 1-7-1-5, Fireball: 5
Evening: 4-1-3-8, Fireball: 1
Check Pick 4 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Cash 5 numbers from May 6 drawing
07-19-34-36-43
Check Cash 5 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Double Play numbers from May 6 drawing
04-06-11-25-43
Winning Millionaire for Life numbers from May 6 drawing
06-18-30-32-43, Bonus: 01
Check Millionaire for Life payouts and previous drawings here.
Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results
Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your lottery prize
All North Carolina Lottery retailers will redeem prizes up to $599.
For prizes over $599, winners can submit winning tickets through the mail or in person at North Carolina Lottery Offices. By mail, send a prize claim form, your signed lottery ticket, copies of a government-issued photo ID and social security card to: North Carolina Education Lottery, P.O. Box 41606, Raleigh, NC 27629. Prize claims less than $600 do not require copies of photo ID or a social security card.
To submit in person, sign the back of your ticket, fill out a prize claim form and deliver the form, along with your signed lottery ticket and government-issued photo ID and social security card to any of these locations:
- Asheville Regional Office & Claim Center: 16-G Regent Park Blvd., Asheville, NC 28806, 877-625-6886 press #1. Hours: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. This office can cash prizes up to $99,999.
- Greensboro Regional Office & Claim Center: 20A Oak Branch Drive, Greensboro, NC 27407, 877-625-6886 press #2. Hours: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. This office can cash prizes up to $99,999.
- Charlotte Regional Office & Claim Center: 5029-A West W. T. Harris Blvd., Charlotte, NC 28269-1861, 877-625-6886 press #3. Hours: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. This office can cash prizes up to $99,999.
- NC Lottery Headquarters: Raleigh Claim Center & Regional Office, 2728 Capital Blvd., Suite 144, Raleigh, NC 27604, 877-625-6886 press #4. Hours: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. This office can cash prizes of any amount.
- Greenville Regional Office & Claim Center: 2790 Dickinson Avenue, Suite A, Greenville, NC 27834, 877-625-6886 press #5. Hours: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. This office can cash prizes up to $99,999.
- Wilmington Regional Office & Claim Center: 123 North Cardinal Drive Extension, Suite 140, Wilmington, NC 28405, 877-625-6886 press #6. Hours: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. This office can cash prizes up to $99,999.
Check previous winning numbers and payouts at https://nclottery.com/.
When are the North Carolina Lottery drawings held?
- Powerball: 10:59 p.m. Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
- Mega Millions: 11 p.m. Tuesday and Friday.
- Lucky for Life: 10:38 p.m. daily.
- Pick 3, 4: 3:00 p.m. and 11:22 p.m. daily.
- Cash 5: 11:22 p.m. daily.
- Millionaire for Life: 11:15 p.m. daily.
This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Carolina Connect editor. You can send feedback using this form.
North Carolina
‘Seeing is believing’: Local content creator expands tourism growth across WNC post-Helene
ASHEVILLE, N.C. (WLOS) — A budding collaboration between content creators and local tourism leaders is bringing more eyes and visitor traffic to western North Carolina.
Explore Asheville is crediting local content creators like Aisha Adams, a Mills River resident, for helping to expand the mountain region’s digital footprint and draw more tourists to lesser-known spots.
Explore Asheville and the Buncombe County Tourism Authority said they are working with their partners to tell creative stories that get people out to discover the area. Adams said she does not ignore capturing spots on video of areas left with the remnants of Helene’s devastating floods.
GOV. JOSH STEIN URGES TRAVEL TO WESTERN NC AT TOURISM CONFERENCE
“That’s just a part of our story now, and it adds that texture and culture,” Adams said. “Now we have this mix of art and resilience that I think is going to make the depth of our work and the depth of our community even more attractive.”
When businesses started reopening after Helene, Adams said she began road-tripping around western North Carolina, documenting her travels online.
One of her videos showing the Jackson County farmers’ market gained nearly 60,000 views. Adams said she never expected her Facebook to garner millions of views every month.
“It’s giving me a sense of community that I never thought I could have in a small town, sort of like Asheville, but connecting with people from all over the world,” Adams said.
Explore Asheville said tourism is showing continuous growth since the floods, including hotel revenue, which has increased by 20% in recent months.
Still, during the state’s annual Visit NC Tourism Conference in March, Governor Josh Stein said one challenge western North Carolina’s tourism industry faces is changing perception of those who still tie the area to images they had seen immediately after the hurricane.
VENUES ACROSS ASHEVILLE REPORT ROBUST VISITORS AMID LAGGING HOTEL OCCUPANCY NUMBERS
Vic Isley, president and CEO of Explore Asheville, said, “Seeing is believing.”
Isley said content creators like Adams are showing both the rebounded and still-recovering areas of Helene, providing a more balanced perspective of places that define the mountain community.
“It’s just really important for people to see not only the shiny parts of Asheville, but the deep inner beauty of Asheville,” Isley said.
Adams, who founded her own media company, Aisha Adams Media, supporting small businesses and nonprofits in bringing profitable and conscious content to social media, said she believes more individuals are looking for authenticity from both online content and their travels.
“People are looking for resilience and healing, and I think that’s what we offer here,” Adams said.
Some of Adams’ recent partnerships with Explore Asheville include content for Black Wall Street AVL, which celebrates Black-owned businesses, along with other work for Martin Luther King Jr. Park located at the intersection of downtown and the East End/Valley Street neighborhood.
ASHEVILLE KICKS OFF PEAK TOURISM SEASON WITH NEW FESTIVALS, LIVE MUSIC
Both Explore Asheville and Adams said they have been experimenting with artificial intelligence as a tool, not a replacement, for their online content.
Adams said she hopes to partner on some more professional projects with Explore Asheville in the future.
-
Detroit, MI29 minutes agoDan Gilbert paid for army of Cavs fans to take over Pistons playoff game
-
San Francisco, CA41 minutes agoMissing woman last seen in San Francisco found dead in Texas after 53 years
-
Dallas, TX47 minutes agoDallas deck park set to reconnect Oak Cliff after decades of division
-
Miami, FL53 minutes agoFuture of Miami historic landmark continues in limbo after redevelopment plan rejected by zoning board
-
Boston, MA59 minutes agoCaleb Lomu’s wife predicted his path to the Patriots, then his uncle flew him there
-
Denver, CO1 hour agoCould the Dolphins Do Another Deal With Denver?
-
Seattle, WA1 hour agoWho will be the next Seahawks owner? One possible bidder invests in the 49ers
-
San Diego, CA1 hour agoPadres Promote 28-Year-Old Rookie, Place Luis Campusano on Injured List Amid Breakout Season