2012 NFL Mock Draft: UNC Tar Heels' Top 2012 Prospects After Butch Davis Firing

The University of North Carolina may have fired head coach Butch Davis today, but they cannot touch the wealth of future NFL draft picks assembled by Davis.

His morals may be questionable, but Davis is one hell of a recruiter. He left the cupboard stocked for the new head coach for at least the next three seasons, as the Tar Heels are loaded with three potential top-10 picks in the 2012 NFL draft.

Here is a look at the best of the best in Chapel Hill.

Zach Brown, Linebacker

Vitals: Senior, 6'2", 230 lbs, Outside Linebacker, Round 1

The Tar Heels would have had an amazing defense in 2010 if all the parts were in place. Suspensions and injuries robbed North Carolina, but it did allow one man to emerge as a standout stud linebacker.

Zach Brown is an athletic, weak-side linebacker with great speed for the position. Due to his athleticism and amazing speed he will be a threat in pass coverage and potentially in rushing the passer.

Brown is a perfect fit for the 4-3 defense.

Quenton Coples, Defensive End

Vitals: Senior, 6'6", 282 lbs, Defensive End, Round 1

It is hard to look at Quenton Coples on film and not see former Tar Heel great Julius Peppers. It's the number, the athleticism, the build...it's all very uncanny.

Coples has Peppers-like talent and ability on the field too. With a good senior season he could make a name for himself as a top-10 pick.

I currently have Coples ranked as my No. 1 defensive end. At 282 lbs, he is the ideal build for a right end in a traditional 4-3 defense. He could also be asked to gain 10 lbs and play in a 3-4, or slide inside to a 3-technique.

Donte Paige-Moss, Defensive End

Vitals: Junior, 6'4", 258 lbs, Defensive End/Outside Linebacker, Round 1

NFL teams looking for a stud college defensive end to convert to outside linebacker will fall in love with UNC's junior rush end Donte Paige-Moss.

He has the speed that general managers and coaches want coming off the edge in a 3-4 defense. He's also a developed body, something that can at times hold back college ends in a transition to linebacker.

Donte Paige-Moss ranks as a first-round prospect at this time for the 2012 NFL draft. It's not guaranteed that he will leave UNC after his junior season, but a late-summer coaching change definitely points to that possibility.

Tydreke Powell, Defensive Tackle

Vitals: Senior, 6'3", 330 lbs, Defensive Tackle, Round 2

Tydreke Powell is a beast. Write his name down now and gloat when he starts to move up draft boards with another solid season in 2011.

Powell is a versatile lineman, able to slide down and play nose tackle or stay in a gap and pressure the pocket. I like him best as a nose tackle in a 3-4 defense, ala B.J. Raji, where he can not only push the center/guard combination back on top of the quarterback, but penetrate A gaps and move the line of scrimmage backward.

Powell turned 23 in June and is an older player, which is always something to consider and investigate.

Dwight Jones, Wide Receiver

Vitals: Senior, 6'4", 225 lbs, Wide Receiver, Round 3

Receivers with Dwight Jones' size will always have a place in the NFL. The only question mark I have before the season is how fast will Jones run?

He's been clocked at 4.53 in the 40-yard dash previously, which seems like a fair estimate based on game speed. Jones is a deep threat who uses his size to position himself for the catch, so speed is not as important, but you would like to see him in the 4.4 area.

If Jones turns in a top-tier performance this season and can run well after the season, he could move up to a second-round prospect.

Sylvester Williams, Defensive Tackle

Vitals: Junior, 6'3", 318 lbs, Defensive Tackle, Round 3

A junior defensive tackle with major ability to split the gaps and crash the pocket, Sylvester Williams' name is on the move up our big board as we prepare for the 2011 college football season.

Williams has ideal size, great initial burst and the makeup of a starting 3-technique defensive tackle in the NFL. The only thing he lacks is experience, something he'll get a lot of in 2011 after transferring to UNC from Coffeyville (Kan.) Junior College, which just so happens to be two hours from my home.

A good season at UNC will mark a clear path to the first two rounds of the 2012 NFL draft for Williams.