Bill Belichick, UNC make embarrassing NFL Draft history

Bill Belichick, UNC make embarrassing NFL Draft history originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

Bill Belichick’s first season as the North Carolina Tar Heels was disastrous in every way imaginable.

From off-the-field distractions to inconsistent performances, there’s no denying that the Belichick era didn’t begin on a positive note. UNC finished the year with a disappointing 4-8 record, eliminating them from Bowl game contention.

To make matters even worse, Belichick and the Tar Heels made embarrassing NFL Draft history last week.

“North Carolina failed to have a player selected in this year’s NFL draft, snapping an eight-year streak and dealing a blow to the Tar Heels’ self-proclaimed status as the ‘33rd NFL team,” Tar Heels Wire’s Grant Chachere wrote last Saturday.

“UNC was one of just 10 Power Four programs without a draft pick, joining Colorado, Oklahoma State, Purdue, Syracuse, UCLA, Virginia, Virginia Tech, West Virginia, and Wisconsin.”

While UNC isn’t in the same stratosphere with powerhouses such as Ohio State, Georgia, Alabama, and LSU when it comes to sending high-level talent to the NFL, it’s mind-boggling that the Tar Heels failed to produce at least one draft-worthy prospect this year.

Even subpar high-major programs should possess one or two contributors who played well enough to hear their name called on draft night.