North Carolina
Report: North Carolina WR Josh Downs has not had any ‘official’ visits with NFL teams
Right here’s a little bit of a head-scratcher . . .
North Carolina broad receiver Josh Downs is extensively projected as probably the greatest wideouts within the 2023 NFL Draft.
Professional Soccer Focus has him because the Fortieth-best prospect on their Huge Board and says this about him:
Downs is a slot weapon that you would be able to feed schemed-up targets to and watch go to work. He racked up 195 catches for two,364 yards and 19 scores throughout the previous two years.
What’s extra, Downs is a “legacy” participant.
- His father, Gary Downs, was a Third-round choice by the New York Giants within the 1994 NFL Draft and spent his 6-year profession enjoying RB for 3 completely different groups (the Giants, the Broncos, and the Falcons).
- His uncle, Dre’ Bly, was a cornerback who was chosen by the St. Louis Rams within the second spherical of the 1999 NFL Draft (#41 general). He spent 11 years within the league (4 groups), recorded 43 profession interceptions (+ 150 PDs), and was chosen to the Professional Bowl twice.
But, in keeping with a current report by Ian Rapoport, Josh Downs has had zero pre-draft visits with NFL groups.
A pre-draft rarity: #UNC WR Josh Downs, doubtless a Friday choose, has no official visits arrange, supply mentioned.
A clear prospect from robust NFL bloodlines — his father Gary was a professional RB and his uncle Dre Bly was a professional CB for a decade — Downs has had a quiet course of.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) April 6, 2023
Certain, his dimension is a matter.
That is “the opposite half” of PFF’s blurb about Downs:
The one downside is that he’s in all probability by no means going to be rather more than a slot at his dimension (5-foot-10, 175 kilos), with solely 81 routes on the surface in his profession.
Nonetheless, NFL groups want good slot receivers, proper?
Particularly persistently good ones.
Listed below are Downs’ stats the final two seasons:
- 2021: 101-of-144 (70.14%) for 1,335 yards (13.2 common) with 8 TDs
- 2022: 94-of-116 (81.03%) for 1,029 yards (10.9 common) with 11 TDs
In response to PFF, his contested catch charge was elite at 72.2%. His drop charge was a suitable/respectable 3.1%. He had an elite grade vs. man-coverage (92.1), and whereas his general receiving grade was decrease (86.5), it nonetheless measured out as elite in comparison with his friends.
And but . . .
Josh Downs has had zero pre-draft visits with NFL groups.