UNC Football: Tar Heels linebacker Chazz Surratt moving up draft boards

UNC football linebacker Chazz Surratt could be an early selection in the 2021 NFL Draft.

There are still two months left before the 2021 NFL draft, but Tar Heels‘ standout linebacker Chazz Surratt is getting more and more attention leading up to the big day. Pro Football Focus, for one, appears to be a big fan of the former quarterback turned defensive star. The two-time first team All-ACC selection has incredible athleticism, and that should translate well to the NFL.

Surratt’s inexperience makes him a little bit of a question mark for NFL teams, and could cause him to fall further than his athletic ability implies he should. Make no mistake, though, some organization is going to pick Chazz Surratt and be really happy to have him on the team for a long time. And according to PFF, Surratt is rising up draft boards.

Surratt simply has too much athletic prowess to not be a good NFL player. He’s also an incredibly intelligent player, and plays with a tremendous amount of intensity. Whether Surratt has the motor to contribute at the next level should not be debated; he does. And PFF agrees with that.

"“Chazz Surratt earned Gatorade North Carolina Player of the Year honors following his senior season at East Lincoln High School. He threw for 3,536 yards and 51 touchdowns and rushed for 1,345 yards and 15 touchdowns that season (2016).He broke the state record for career total yards (16,593) and touchdowns (229). He was a three-time player of the year in the SD-7 Conference for football and a three-time NC Preps All-State selection in basketball. Not to mention, he earned a 4.5 GPA in his senior season.Surratt was a three-star dual-threat quarterback recruit with offers from Clemson, UNC and Duke, among others. He eventually stayed in-state and committed to the Tar Heels. He played quarterback for his first two seasons before pivoting to linebacker. His brother, Sage Surratt, was a wide receiver for Wake Forest.”"

Chazz Surratt is going to make Tar Heel fans proud

Whatever NFL fanbase adopts Surratt next year need not worry, even if he isn’t a star from day one. He just needs seasoning at the next level. He’ll be better at the end of 2021 than he is at the beginning, and even better the following season.

An NFL team that needs a linebacker to play a bunch of meaningful snaps this coming year needs to choose a linebacker in the first round. But a team that wants to have a very productive linebacker who is going to create turnovers and put pressure on opposing quarterbacks for the next six to eight seasons should take Chazz Surratt in the second round.

Surratt has only been a linebacker for a couple of years after smartly being asked to transition from quarterback. This was a win-win for the team, and the player. The Tar Heels’ defense wasn’t overly great in the first part of the 2020 season, but this was no fault of Surratt’s. He was brilliant, and will be in the future, too.

The NFL draft is really about the future, and less about the upcoming season. Surratt is going to be a very good pro once he learns his position more, and understands what his role is in the NFL. In fact, Tar Heel fans should get used to his name being a called a bunch by 2022.

Check back with Keeping It Heel for all the latest on Chazz Surratt, and UNC football alumni across the NFL.