Draft Profile: Bio

“I would say the one thing you have to be is fearless in the slot,” -Josh Downs

Josh Downs attended North Gwinnett High School in Suwanee Georgia where he was a three-sport athlete (Football, Basketball, and Track). He would run the 40-yard dash as a junior and would be clocked at 4.47 showing elite speed even from the high school level. In the same year, he would jump a 42-inch vertical. He would finish third in the state at the triple jump and fourth in the long jump.

In his Freshman year of high school, he started slow only catching four passes for 86 yards.

Downs sophomore year would prove to be much more productive as he moved into a full-on starting role. Boasting a 1k (1019) receiving season over 63 catches alongside 9 TDs.

Taking a step down in production in his junior season, he would only catch 37 passes for 624 yards ,however, his red zone usage would remain high catching 9 TDs.

In his pinnacle senior season, he would add another 1k (1290) receiving season over 83 catches. He was a force to be reckoned with in the RedZone scoring 14 TDs.

Graduating in the class of 2020, he was an early enrollee as a four-star prospect. Coming out of high school he was ranked the nation's 17th-best WR of his class and 53rd overall nationally per 24/7 Sports.

Downs received offers from Tennessee, Penn State, Arkansas, Ohio State, Kentucky, Michigan, Cincinnati, and South Carolina, among many others. He would ultimately decide to enroll in North Carolina.

Similar to his high school career, Downs took on a minor role in his freshman season for the Tar Heels catching 7 passes for 119 yards alongside 3 TDs and a respectable passer rating of 110.0 when targeted. However, he would foreshadow his impressive college career by catching a 75-yard-long pass against 5th-ranked Texas A&M.

In his Sophomore year, Downs formed elite chemistry with QB Sam Howell who was drafted with the # 144 overall pick by the Carolina Panthers in 2021. In 2021 Downs accounted for 43.6% of Howell’s passing yards by catching 101 passes for 1,335 yards, making it the third time in Downs career he would hit the 1k mark alongside a 106.1 passer rating when targeted. Further building on his elite connection, Downs would score 8 TDs.

In his final season with the Tarheels, Down proved that his performance was not purely the result of Sam Howell by catching 94 passes for 1,029 yards making it his fourth 1k season. He would also boast an immaculate 134.7 passer rating when targeted. Downs would see his red zone targets increase resulting in 11 TDs, the most he had scored in a single season as a Tarheel. He would catch more than 72% of his contested catches and his 754 yards after the catch ranks third in the country amongst all receivers.

Over his final two seasons as a Tarheel (2021 and 2022) Downs would also be utilized as a punt returner. Catching 27 punts over two seasons averaging a return of 10.4 yards per punt and a long return of 38 yards in both seasons.