UNC Football: 2024 season superlatives for the Tar Heels in the NFL
By Luke Sugar
. . Josh Downs. JD. The Breakout Star. 46. Josh Downs. WR. player.
Josh Downs turned a lot of heads during his rookie campaign. Downs showed off his soft hands, bringing in 68 receptions on 98 targets with only five drops — good enough for the 16th-highest catch rate among all wide receivers.
He isn’t a blur in the open field but has elite quickness with a devastating first step. He makes hard cuts, using smooth footwork to evade defenders and scrape out extra yards after the catch.
Downs had a respectable 771 total receiving yards despite his stud rookie quarterback, Anthony Richardson, going down with a season-ending injury in Week 4. Having Richardson back is a big green flag for a Downs breakout season. A red flag for Downs possibly stagnating in year two is that he’s currently nursing a high ankle sprain. Although, there is still a chance he’s healthy by the start of the season.
Barring that his injury keeps him sidelined longer than expected, I’m taking Downs as the most likely breakout Tar Heel this season. Downs has sky-high potential, and the league hasn’t seen everything he’s capable of, but they will soon.