Football by Numbers North Carolina Tar Heels

WR Rankings: Josh Downs

September 27, 2021 CFB Saturdays Staff

Updated: 01/21/2022

With the season underway players have had the opportunity to raise their stock and move up the rankings. Before we jump into Josh Downs, here’s a few reminders about the rankings themselves:

The rankings will be updated throughout the season.
Players who have not played college football are not eligible for the rankings.
Players are graded on their college ability, not their pro potential.
We are judging players on their film, production and physical tools.

You can view the College Football WR Rankings here.

North Carolina wide receiver, Josh Downs made a splash in the 2021 season. With Dyami Brown and Dazz Newsome gone, Downs was going to be counted on to be Sam Howell’s number one weapon. He got off to a fast start, catching 8 passes for 123 yards in the loss against Virginia Tech then had the first 200 yard game of his young career against Virginia two weeks later. Downs would continue to perform despite defenses focusing on him, making 101 catches for 1,335 yards and 8 touchdowns. The electric receiver was North Carolina’s top option in the passing game and proved how explosive he can be.

Josh Downs has that easy speed that makes it seem like he’s impossible to catch. He goes from catch to top speed in a flash and seems to keep accelerating through the end of the play. Downs is a smooth runner who weaves in and out of the gaps in the defense without losing speed. He gears down when he needs to, usually to create deception and then is able to blow past defenders with a sudden burst of speed. With rare speed and acceleration, Downs is a difficult cover and equally difficult to keep contained after the catch.

Sometimes the speedy receivers do not have the best ball skills, but that is hardly the case with Downs. He is excellent when tracking the ball downfield, taking good routes to the ball and running under it with pace. Downs has also displayed good body control and is able to make difficult catches and manage the sideline while making those catches. He plucks the ball out of the air when catching on the move and has little wasted motion in his game, efficiently maintaining speed when catching balls on the move.

Downs is not a big receiver, but his speed and efficient mobility make him difficult for defenders to square up and get physical with. He can hurt the defense with short catches and running after the catch, in the intermediate passing game where he finds holes in the defense and exploits them, or downfield as a deep threat where he can blow by the coverage. Downs has the tools to dominate the game at the receiver position and will see his stock continue to rise as he continues to shine.