80 Prospects in 80 Days: North Carolina LB Chazz Surratt
Each day leading up to the 2021 NFL Draft, we will take a look at prospects that should be on the Carolina Panthers' radar. We will look at roughly eleven prospects per round to give a better idea of potential draftees beyond just the first round.
Here's our schedule for the next 80 days:
1st Round: Feb. 8th - Feb. 21st
2nd Round: Feb. 22nd - Mar. 6th
3rd Round: Mar. 7th - Mar. 18th
4th Round: Mar. 19th - Mar. 29th
5th Round: Mar. 30th - Apr. 8th
6th Round: Apr. 9th - Apr. 18th
7th Round: Apr. 19th - Apr. 28th
Prospect No. 28:
College: North Carolina
Height: 6'2" Weight: 225 lbs
Draft range: Late 2nd round, early 3rd round
Analysis: At one point in time in time Chazz Surratt was thought to be the future of North Carolina football at the QB position. After things didn't go so well in his first two years at quarterback, instead of transferring, he flipped to the other side of the ball to give linebacker a shot and it paid off. The quarterback turned linebacker has not only played his way into the draft but will likely go in the first three rounds.
Being a quarterback helped him understand everything when he moved to defense which is why he was one of the main leaders on that side of the ball for UNC. He has great instincts, awareness, football IQ, and on top of all that, is a tremendous athlete. In his 24 games spent at linebacker, Surratt totaled 206 tackles, 22.5 tackles for loss, 12.5 sacks, two interceptions, two forced fumbles, and two fumble recoveries.
Coming into the draft, he's not the biggest guy in the world but adding on weight should not be much of a problem. Playing the MIKE could be in his future considering that he's done it before and it would allow him to be the quarterback of the defense seeing everything from the middle of the field. With that said, I think right away he fits more in at the SAM spot where he could also play a little safety. His coverage skills are well above average and he's got the speed to run with some of the best receivers out there.
Carolina needs to add some depth to the linebacking room and round three might be where they start to heavily consider the idea of drafting one.
You can follow us for future coverage by clicking "Follow" on the top right-hand corner of the page. Also, be sure to like us on Facebook & Twitter:
Facebook - @PanthersOnSI
Twitter - @SI_Panthers and Schuyler Callihan at @Callihan_.
