Bill Belichick is widely considered the greatest coach in NFL history. However, his first year at UNC did not yield a single North Carolina player who was worthy of being selected during the NFL Draft.
It was a historic weekend for the Tar Heels in all of the wrong ways.
A disappointing college football season led to a disappointing NFL Draft. You can’t blame Mack Brown!
North Carolina went undrafted.
UNC fired Brown as head coach after six seasons. The College Football Hall of Fame inductee consistently fell short of expectations with a team that was supposed to compete for a national title.
Although he finished his tenure with a winning record, the Tar Heels never made the College Football Playoff and only one a bowl game during his first year at the helm. They lost twice in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl, in the Holiday Bowl and in the Orange Bowl.
The reason for Brown’s ouster largely stemmed from disappointing results with an extremely talented roster. North Carolina produced multiple second-, third- and first-round draft picks from 2019-2024.
- Charlie Heck — 4th round, 2020
- Jason Strowbridge — 5th round, 2020
- Javonte Williams — 2nd round, 2021
- Chazz Surratt — 3rd round, 2021
- Dyami Brown — 3rd round, 2021
- Michael Carter — 4th round, 2021
- Dazz Newsome — 6th round, 2021
- Joshua Ezeudu — 3rd round, 2022
- Sam Howell — 5th round, 2022
- Ty Chandler – 5th round, 2022
- Marcus McKethan — 5th round, 2022
- Josh Downs — 3rd round, 2023
- Asim Richards — 5th round, 2023
- Antoine Green — 7th round, 2023
- Raymond Vohasek — 7th round, 2023
- Drake Maye — 1st round, 2024
- Cedric Gray — 4th round, 2024
- Devontez Walker — 4th round, 2024
- Omarion Hampton — 1st round, 2025
Count ’em up. That’s 19 players drafted during Mack Brown’s six years with the Tar Heels. He was fired in December 2024. Bill Belichick was hired as his replacement.
UNC did not have a single player drafted in 2026. Not even one.
Bill Belichick made NFL Draft history at UNC.
This is the first time since 2016 that the University of North Carolina did not produce an NFL Draft pick and only the fourth time since 1975. Larry Fedora was the last head coach of the Tar Heels who did not have a player drafted.
And now Belichick.
UNC finished at 4-8 in 2025. There were three players who were right on the cusp of getting drafted in the sixth or seventh rounds. Cornerbacks Marcus Allen and Thaddeus Dixon were invited to the NFL Combine. Kicker Rece Venhoff was considered one of the best specialists in this year’s class.
All three of them went undrafted. Not even one Tar Heel was drafted.
To make matters worse, general manager Michael Lombardi boldly declared North Carolina as the “33rd NFL team” because “everything [in Chapel Hill] is predicated on building a pro team.” Awkward.
In a previous era, prior to the transfer portal, Belichick might get a pass. Head coaches used to inherit the roster from the coach that came before them. Not anymore! That is no longer the case.
Bill Belichick and UNC added 75 new players. Not even one of them was good enough to get drafted. That is a direct reflection on the coaching staff, which is a direct reflection on the head coach.