For full scouting reports access attached file:
Superlatives:
Most Underrated Group: OL
Most Overrated Group: WR
Most Disappointing (talent / recruiting): Edge
Sleeper - Offense: Eli Rickell, Aveon Williams
Sleeper - Defense: Jimmy-Phrisco Alo-Suliafu, Julien Burns
Most Interesting: Jaden Jefferson
Most Joyous Film: Jaden Jefferson, Julian Burns
Alpha (other than QB): Trashawn Ruffin
Must Hit Prospect: Trashawn Ruffin
Take It To the Bank Prospect: Will Conroy
Overall WR Assessment: Caveat: Next to QBs I like seeing WRs in person. I feel like you can get a better sense of their athleticism and get a better look at them than on film. That said, I am slightly disappointed with the WR class. Miles is overrated. I actually like Robertson more. Miles is a Mack Brown special in my eyes. A guy who looks to have a good recruiting ranking and then you turn on the film and go "hmm, I'm not sure here". Robertson looks like a very solid prospect (as does Miles), but neither is going to get UNC to the holy land and both project as future depth. Chapman is as advertised and Warren is also an exciting prospect. Both are deep threat, jump ball flankers. Both are raw and a few years away. What this class is missing is a dynamic, freak athlete type WR. And given the importance of the slot, I'm surprised there isn't a pure slot WR (whispers CJ Sadler). That said, the prior staff was very high on Vari Green and Jason Robinson looks to have some potential as well. Jaden Jefferson could also easily be that guy.
Overall TE Assessment: Belichick is famous for his use of 2 TEs. However, it appears to me as if Belichick is trying to find 3 TE types. The first is the all-purpose, every down TE. Johnson and Cox fit that mold and I would put McCutchen into that bucket. Then you have your blocking TEs that are brought in as options during red zone, short yardage, and heavy packages. Owens, Yasir Smith and Aidan Woods would qualify. Finally, you have receiving TEs that are matchup problems - similar to how Bryson Nesbit was utilized. That would be Shamar Easter and Kenedy Uzoma. I would put Aveon Williams and Carson Sneed in this bucket but unlike Easter/Uzoma, Williams and Sneed have size. Given their athleticism, size, and receiving ability you cannot help but look at them and think they fit the mold of the dynamic TEs that you see all over NFL rosters. Overall, I think this TE class is much better than their rankings indicate. I really like Woods as a specialist and you have huge upside get with Williams and Sneed.
Overall OL Assessment: Versatility and toughness is a consistent theme. It is obvious that every single guy relishes blocking. Some are just plain nasty. Collectively, this group is a run blocking first group. The overall athleticism is impressive. The concern is a lack of a true tackle. I happen to think Belichick / Lombardi remain in the market for one. I also suspect they feel good about the potential of Hall, Norwood, or McVay locking down the LT position. To me, this class reads like they are bringing in lineman that will fight it out for 3 interior positions. I am most excited about Anthony Hall, Will Conroy, Zion Smith, and Eli Rickell. Overall, I think they are bringing in 6 solid, clear P5 prospects. The entire OL class skews under-rated to me. The cherry on top for this OL class would be a legit OT.
Overall DL Assessment: Given DTs are the most expensive position after QBs, it is essential to add 3+ each year. UNC has 10 players already on the 2026 roster, but I would designate 4 as practice squad players (Gidden, Thomas, Williams, Maggio) and lots of unproven talent (Pesansky, Jackson, Ancrum). I would like to see UNC bring in 3-4 DTs this year. In my eyes, they have 2 elite DTs in Ruffin and Moala and a versatile rush DT in Jackson. Ruffin is a huge recruiting coup as he is the type of DT that SEC schools grow on trees (but never seem to come to UNC). Moala is an athlete rush DT that also looks like he could play nose. His athleticism and quickness are hard to ignore. Jackson's versatility really impresses. The cherry on top would be an additional high-upside, athletic regional DT prospect.. With 8 edges on the roster, there is only a need to add 2. That said Nwaisu and Pascal are practice squad players trying to make the roster. Nevertheless, this group is all about the upside. Griffin-Haynes and Brown have a ton of athletic ability and god given measurables, but both are extremely raw, need to add bulk, and are a few years away from contributing. Blatt is a very solid prospect. I really like Alo-Suliafu and think he is the closest to seeing the field. His potential excites me and think he may be a steal. His versatility also will allow him to slide inside (similar to Pryce Yates's versatility).
Overall LB Assessment: With 6 scholarship LBs on the 2026 roster (and I suspect 1-2 additions via the portal), LB isn't much of a need for this class. (Note: I am very high on the Houser kid). 1-2 additions feels reasonable. I think the staff hit a home run with Thomas. He could develop into something really special. Griffin-Haynes is more of a wildcard. He clearly has the athleticism necessary, but he has a long way to go in terms of technique. That said, I think he is a very low risk take. At worse, he is going to be a special teams starter. With a floor like that, the limited needs at LB, and the fact he helped secure a commitment from his brother, I think he is a very solid take. I'm very impressed with this LB class all things considered.
Overall DB Assessment: There are 7 safeties entering 2026. All are legit prospects. We can add 3 to get to ideal depth. I really really like Julian Burns. Gordon and Lewis are both on the smaller side, but play bigger than their measurables. They are solid athletes that will have the opportunity to focus and hone their skills in college. Both have good potential but are raw. And then there is Jakob Weatherspoon. When we took him I thought he was a CB given his size, but he plays like a safety. He brings elite athleticism to the position and he is an impressive prospect. In short, I think we have 2 players (Burns, Weatherspoon) and 2 developmental guys (Lewis, Gordon). That will put us 1 over ideal depth and suggests to me we may see some attrition from some younger guys (Jalon Thompson, Javion Butts?). Ironically, I don't see many gaps here in terms of portal additions. We have a very solid foundation that only gets stronger with this class. CB is the polar opposite. There are 6 CBs entering 2026. Ideal depth is 12 (4 nickel, 4 boundary, 4 field). We need to add a whopping 6 recruits (before accounting for any attrition). Nickle is in a good space, but corner is completely unproven. We will likely target 1-3 via the portal. Recruit wise, you could slot Jefferson in here, but I really hope he ends up at WR. Excluding Jefferson, that is 4 additions. Ryan and Jackson are both solid pickups. Johnson is a great athlete, but is a few years away. Chapman is slightly over-rated, but is still serviceable. This CB class is really missing a projected starter and hard to argue it is anything other than middling.
