Quinn Taken 14th in NFL Draft; Other Heels Wait

Former UNC defensive end Robert Quinn was taken 14th overall by the St. Louis Rams in the NFL Draft on Thursday night. Quinn is the third former Heel to be taken in the first round since Butch Davis took over in Chapel Hill and the 31st first rounder to be coached or recruited by Davis. Quinn was projected as high as a top ten pick, possibly even top five but as the evening wore on, a run on QBs slid Quinn out of the top ten. Four QBs were taken in the first twelve picks including Florida State’s Christian Ponder who went 12th Minnesota. Quinn’s drop to 14th was partially due to teams going a different route on needs but also because some teams were concerned about the brain tumor which Quinn had while he was in high school.

DT Marvin Austin, who some thought might sneak into the first round, was not chosen on Thursday night. The NFL Draft will continue with rounds two and three beginning at 6 PM this evening. Austin willl most certainly come off the board during the 2nd round. LB Quan Sturdivant, LB Bruce Carter and WR Greg Little also could hear their names called in the next two rounds as well. Inside Carolina has a nice rundown of the remaining Tar Heels and where they might reasonably fall. Of particular interest is where the well liked S Deunta Williams will end up and also QB T.J. Yates who could catch on with the right team and possibly become the first former Tar Heel QB to throw a pass in an NFL game. Correction: Apparently UNC has had a QB throw passes in the NFL. Scott Stankavage did so in the 1980s as pointed out in the comments section. I think where I got tripped up is UNC has never had a starting QB in the NFL. Butch Davis has said he thinks Yates might be able to accomplish that.

Share This Post: