Chazz

Surratt

The Jets are dealing with a plethora of injury issues, and also placed Allen Lazard and Leki Fotu on injured reserve earlier Thursday. With Mosley out, Chazz Surratt should see the bulk of snaps at his linebacker position with Surratt playing through a heel injury.

Jets interim head coach Jeff Ulbrich said Mosley would be seeing a neck and spine specialist on Monday. This indicates Mosley will miss extended time, at the least Thursday night against the Texans. His backup, LB Chazz Surratt, was limited with a heel injury on Tuesday after being listed with a ‘DNP’ on Monday.

The Vikings took Surratt in the third round of the 2021 NFL Draft. Initially recruited to North Carolina as a quarterback, Surratt only had two years of experience at linebacker when he entered the league. His lack of experience was likely an issue as he only took the field on special teams as a rookie. Surratt could get claimed on waivers if a team wants to take on the task of developing him this year. If he makes it through waivers, Surratt is a strong bet to land on Minnesota’s practice squad.

Surratt (6’2/229) was a two-year starter at linebacker who collected 206 tackles and 13 sacks over 22 starts after switching positions from quarterback. He earned first-team All-ACC honors and was runner up for ACC Defensive Player of the Year in 2020. The brother of Wake Forest WR Sage Surratt (also in this class), Chazz showed a knack for knifing through gaps and closing quickly on the blitz. At his pro day, Surratt posted a 4.59 forty, 25 bench reps and a 4.18 shuttle that were all 85th-percentile-plus showings. But at sub-230 pounds with 30-inch T-Rex arms, he’s below NFL size and length thresholds. Suratt’s next area of emphasis will be run-game diagnosing and coverage smoothness. Despite his athleticism and previous QB experience, Surratt allowed a 104.8 passer rating against and an 81.8 percent catch percentage for 10.3 YP on 55 career targets. At 24, Surratt is one of the class’ oldest players. It’s fair to wonder how much development he has left.

At first glance, 25 reps wouldn’t be much to write home about for a linebacker. But in the case of Surratt (6'2"/229) the number is noteworthy, as he began his college career as a quarterback. That was just one of the positive numbers that he posted on Monday, as Surratt also clocked in at 4.60 seconds in the 40 and recorded a time of 4.18 seconds in the short shuttle. Surratt is projected to be right on that Day 2/3 fringe, as he has a shot of hearing his name called in Round 3.

Surratt (6'2/225) had originally been clocked in the 4.7 seconds range, but it was later updated that he posted a 4.64 40-yard dash. He began his career as a quarterback, but the move to linebacker has paid off in the big way. The junior linebacker has been one of the ACC’s best in each of the last two seasons, and as a result he is expected by more than a few scouts to be a Day 2 selection. Pro Football Network draft analyst Tony Pauline has given Surratt a third-round grade.

The Tar Heels will be without three of their best players for the January 2 matchup with Texas A&M, as in addition to Surratt (6'3/230) RB Michael Carter and WR Dyami Brown have also opted out. Surratt began his career as a quarterback, but the move to linebacker has paid off in the big way. The junior linebacker has been one of the ACC’s best in each of the last two seasons, and as a result he is expected by more than a few scouts to be a Day 2 selection. Pro Football Network draft analyst Tony Pauline has given Surratt a third-round grade.

Surratt (6'3/230), who began his North Carolina career as a quarterback, continues to make the transition to linebacker look easy. After finishing second in the voting for ACC Defensive Player of the Year last season, the redshirt junior has continued to make his presence felt in the middle of the Tar Heel defense. In Saturday’s rout of NC State he led the team in total tackles (eight; six being solos) while also tallying one sack, one interception and a forced fumble. With an eye towards next spring, the combination of production, athleticism and upside make Surratt an intriguing draft prospect.

Surratt (6'3/230) began his North Carolina career as a quarterback before converting to linebacker during spring practice ahead of the 2019 season. And he handled the transition very well, accounting for 115 total tackles (15.0 for loss), 6.5 sacks, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery, one interception, ten quarterback hurries and three pass breakups. As good as Surratt was in 2019, he could potentially be even better now that he has a full season of experience at linebacker under his belt. And turning down the NFL Draft for another season appears to run in the family, as Wake Forest WR Sage Surratt made the same decision last month.

Surratt (6'3/230) is one of our favorite species of player, the quarterback-converted-to-linebacker (our collective heart still flutters for Joel Lanning). He made the transition over to defense during the offseason after beginning his UNC career at signal-caller. Surratt could make a few cameos on offense in the coming weeks due to the continued injury absence of Jace Ruder. This season, Surratt has logged 34 tackles (5.0 for loss), three sacks and two passes defensed in five games.