Michael Lombardi’s “33rd team” line at North Carolina is aging badly, and the latest reminder came in the NFL Draft.
Lombardi said the Tar Heels would become the NFL’s “33rd team,” but the results haven’t come close to backing that up. UNC was arguably the worst Power 4 team in college football last season, and then the draft delivered another brutal punch: not a single Tar Heel was selected.
That’s the easy part of the criticism. The harder stuff, according to The Athletic, is the attitude surrounding the move to Chapel Hill.
The outlet reported that Lombardi, who had not worked in college football since the 1980s, arrived convinced he knew more than the people already in the sport. It also said he pushed out experienced personnel staff and missed on a number of player evaluations.
A few weeks after taking the job, Lombardi made the “33rd team” declaration. The Athletic noted that this “33rd NFL team” had no players drafted from Lombardi and Belichick’s 41-man roster overhaul, marking the first time UNC had gone without a draft pick since 2016.
Bruce Feldman also pointed out how far the program has fallen from that kind of language. “It now feels more as if they are making North Carolina merely the ACC’s 18th team, let alone the NFL’s 33rd.
Last season, UNC went 2-8 against Power 4 opponents and lost to the ACC’s other three in-state programs. The Tar Heels got blown out by a Wake Forest team that hired its coach, Jake Dickert, a week after Belichick took over,” Feldman wrote.
It’s a rough look for Lombardi, especially when the bold talk hasn’t been matched by results. In college football, confidence can be useful. But when the season and the draft both turn against you, those big declarations come back fast.
In Other News...
Patriots Just Added A Familiar Defensive Lineman For A Reason
The Patriots have added another body to the interior defensive line, signing defensive tackle Casey Rogers after a successful workout and using the roster opening created when linebacker Otis Reese was released. Rogers is entering his third NFL season and is expected to provide rotational depth inside, a practical move for a team still sorting out its mix up front.
Rogers also brings a layer of familiarity with the coaching staff, which likely helped make the transition easier once the workout went well. The signing does not affect New Englands salary cap, and it gives the Patriots another experienced option while they continue to manage the edges of the roster with the season moving along. [Read more 🡒]
Patriots Camp Is Putting One Thin Position Group Under The Microscope
Day 8 of Patriots training camp brought the usual blend of practice updates, injury watch and roster sorting, but it also kept attention on a position group that suddenly looks a lot thinner than usual. New England added defensive tackle Casey Rogers from the UFL, another move that reinforces how much the team is still trying to stabilize the interior of its defensive line as camp moves deeper into the summer.
The rest of the days reporting centered on who was on the field, who was not and how the coaching staff is shaping early roster projections. There were the standard rounds of media availability from players and coaches, along with notes on participation and recovery, but the bigger picture is hard to miss: the Patriots are still evaluating bodies and roles up front, and every camp rep matters when a position group is being watched this closely. [Read more 🡒]
Patriots Camp Is Putting Unexpected Pressure On Two Position Battles
Early in Patriots training camp, the most interesting roster fights are not always the ones involving the biggest names. Tight end and cornerback have both turned into spots to watch, with rookies Eli Raridon and Tanner Arkin getting a real look as the team sorts through depth and roles behind the established pieces. Head coach Mike Vrabel and quarterback Drake Maye have both offered encouraging views of the progress being made, which matters this time of year because summer practices often reveal who can handle more than just a handful of snaps.
Raridon and Arkin have each found ways to stay in the mix through the first weeks, and their work has added a little extra pressure to a competition that was already more open than it first appeared. Karon Prunty has also been part of that quieter roster battle, giving the Patriots more to evaluate as camp moves along and the cuts get closer. Nothing is settled yet, but the way these lesser-known players have kept showing up in key spots suggests the final decisions may be harder than expected. [Read more 🡒]