UNC football receiver Josh Downs to declare for NFL draft, won’t play in Holiday Bowl
Josh Downs, North Carolina’s record-setting receiver, will declare for the NFL draft, skip his final year of eligibility, and he will not play with the team against Oregon in the Holiday Bowl later this month.
“I grew up bragging on my dad playing in the NFL,” Downs told ESPN’s Pete Thamel. “He was my role model. Of course I wanted to do the same thing.”
Downs’ father, Gary, is currently East Tennessee State’s running backs coach and recruiting coordinator. He played running back at N.C. State and was a third round pick in the 1994 NFL draft by the New York Giants.
Despite attending Wolfpack games growing up and his father’s legacy there, Downs opted instead to play for the Tar Heels. He did it partly because he knew former UNC quarterback Sam Howell from participating in camps and partly because he believed he’d fit in the system well.
After the Tar Heels loss to Clemson in the ACC Championship game last week, Downs told reporters a bit about that decision.
“When I was in high school, I was a smaller guy — I mean, I’m still small, but I was like 150 pounds,” Downs said “They believed in me. And coach (Lonnie) Galloway, coach (Phil) Longo, coach Mack (Brown), they never changed on me, so Carolina means the world to me.”
The 5-foot-10, 175-pound, native of Suwanee, Ga., set single-season records at Carolina last season as a sophomore with 101 receptions for 1,335 yards. As a junior, he led the team with 94 catches for 1,029 yards and 11 touchdowns and, in turn, led the ACC in receptions (8.5) and receiving yards (93.5) per game.
ESPN draft analyst Todd McShay has Downs listed as the fourth rated receiver in the upcoming draft.
This story was originally published December 9, 2022 at 11:50 AM with the headline "UNC football receiver Josh Downs to declare for NFL draft, won’t play in Holiday Bowl."