A dominant slot receiver for North Carolina, wide receiver Josh Downs had his best season yet and will look to turn that into capital as he enters into the 2023 NFL draft.
Here is everything you need to know about the Tar Heels playmaker:
Vitals
Height: 5-10
Weight: 175
Class: Junior
40 Yard Dash: 4.48
Strengths
A dynamic and explosive slot receiver for North Carolina, Josh Downs dominated college football the last two years as the Tar Heels’ top weapon and one of the best slot men in the country. Over the last two seasons, he put up incredible stats out of the slot and combined for over 195 catches, 2,300 yards, and 19 touchdowns.
Downs is smooth as a route runner, understanding the best way to exploit what is in front of him and get open. He possesses both short and long speed that leads to a lot of game-breaking plays as well as forcing defenses to squeeze the middle of the field to account for him bursting up the middle. His stop-and-start ability is impressive, being able to freeze a defender and leave them lost while he blows past them for big gains and is crafty enough to exploit just about any level of athlete on the field. He is surprisingly good at adjusting his body to the ball and snatching lay ups down the field, he is an aggressive attacked of the football and it shows up on gameday.
After the catch is where Downs does a lot of his damage, securing the ball and leap padding his way to freedom and bursting into a second gear quickly once he sees a hole. His elusiveness, running creativity, and raw athleticism makes him one of the hardest players to get your hands on and will likely translate into the next level.
Weaknesses
There is an obvious size gap for Downs who lacks the desired frame to play wide receiver in the NFL, and that comes with lacking in both beating press coverage and providing within the run game as a blocker. There is no true way to solve his frame issue aside from adding bulk but it may be best just to use Downs more creatively and scheme him in a position to get himself open.
Downs also had a sizeable number of drops over the last two years. He needs to work on his focus through the catch as opposed to looking to make a big play before he has secured the football. This should naturally come with time as coaches do not have much patience for it.
Projection
Josh Downs is one of the best slot receivers in the country and should translate that same level of playmaking ability into the next level. His creativity, quick feet, and dangerous burst are going to make him a problem in the NFL, and while his frame may be a more permanent issue, teams will know how to use him and scheme him in the best positions to make plays in the open field. He will naturally succeed as a route runner when given more free releases, and which give NFL defensive backs headaches adjusting to his cuts and diving at a ghost. The size issue, drops, and inability to move outside will ding Downs for some teams on draft day, but there will inevitably be a teams that falls in love with his ability to get open and make a play.
Projection: Top 50
