North Carolina had their Pro Day media meet on Friday, and All About the Birds were in attendance. Five players stepped up to the podium for what was a highly anticipated press meet.
Michael Carter
Carter spoke with good energy at the media meet, where he reiterated his delight at being back with his teammates. Carter referenced his versatility, vision and pass-catching abilities when discussing his strengths as a running back. He was very secretive when asked whether he had spoken with certain teams refusing to comment every time a reporter asked him.
The North Carolina running back attended the Senior Bowl and said it was a big honour for him to be involved. He worked with the Dolphins coaching staff that week and said he learnt a lot during the process. Carter learnt how to carry himself like a pro as well as how an NFL playbook looked. North Carolina's Head Coach, Mack Brown, praised Carter's leadership in the locker room, and that is something NFL teams will be attracted to when going into the draft. Finding great talent and leadership is a double plus, and it will work in Carter's favour in the draft.
Dyami Brown
Brown opened his press conference by sending praise to Asante Samuel JR as one of the best cornerbacks he had faced in 2020. Brown is a great deep threat, but he wants to use his pro day to show teams that he can run routes in different areas. He alluded to the fact that he had played on the left side of the offense for the past two years and wants to show he can play on the right and run every route there is, showing that his game is not isolated to being a deep threat.
Brown said that he is comfortable winning contested catches, and he is concentrating more on that aspect of his game to help him further improve. The wide receiver said that being involved with the community is very important and referenced that he has already done charity work and was involving himself in communities. That is the selfless, caring type of player an organisation would want to have around.
Dazz Newsome
Newsome said that he modelled his game after Steve Smith Sr and liked how he did it all. Newsome was an aggressive blocker in college, and he knows the importance of blocking as a receiver. That is a big attribute to have as a receiver coming into the NFL, especially with run and screen blocking being so important.
Newsome said that teams wanted to use him mostly in the slot, but he said he would play anywhere and he could do it all. They also spoke to him about playing as a kick returner which he said he would be okay doing.
Javonte Williams
Williams was under-recruited after high school, and he said that he thought about it a lot. He felt blessed to be in the position that he is in and acknowledged that many would not get the opportunity to prove themselves. Williams refused to comment on teams he had spoken with, similarly to Carter.
With Williams being one of the top-ranked running backs in this draft class, it is likely that he makes an immediate impact on a team. He said that prospect was exciting and crazy for him to think about. Williams showed confidence in himself by telling reporters that he was the best running back in the draft and that he wanted to use Monday's pro day as a chance to show teams in person what he can do. He believes that is the best because he can do it all and does not have too much wear and tear on his body.
Chazz Surratt
Surratt comes into this draft process alongside his brother, who plays at Wake Forest, and the two have been training together over the last couple of months. Surratt is a former quarterback and transitioned to linebacker during his time with North Carolina. He believes having that background helps him out because he can see stuff on film that others may not see.
Surratt participated at the Senior Bowl and mentioned that he spoke with future Hall of Famer Luke Kuechly. He had the chance to pick his brain and gain experience from a great which will help him coming into the NFL. Surratt knows that he cannot rely on his speed in the NFL, and the two main things he wants to work on are using his hands and foot in contact with the better quality in linemen.