Alijah Huzzie NFL Draft 2025: Scouting Report for North Carolina CB

HEIGHT: 5'10"

WEIGHT: 193

HAND: 8⅝”

ARM: 29⅝”

WINGSPAN: 72⅞”

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POSITIVES

— Good ball production with four interceptions and 14 passes defended over the last two seasons.

— Good footwork when playing soft press coverage. Uses leverage steps to maintain his pre-snap advantage, keeps his hip square and has good footwork to mirror and match at the line of scrimmage.

— Solid hip fluidity to turn and run. Also shows decent long speed to avoid getting beat deep.

— Doesn't fall for double-moves when playing man coverage. Stays disciplined and on top of routes.

— Can be physical and strong against the run when he wants to.

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NEGATIVES

— Lack of length will put him into the nickel-corner-only category for some teams.

— Struggles to disrupt routes at the line of scrimmage with his jam and will get beat at the top of routes against physical route-runners due to being undersized.

— Subpar burst and short-area quickness out of his breaks.

— Can get caught with bad eyes in zone coverage, leading to coverage busts.

— Not a consistent and physical run defender. Also dives at ankles to when tackling, leading to misses.

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NOTES

— Born Jan. 16, 2001

— Not ranked in the 2019 class, per 247Sports; was a FCS commit out of high school

— Played at East Tennessee from 2019 to 2022 before transferring to UNC

— Injuries: 2023 (Fractured right tibia in ankle, no surgery, missed 2 games at the end of the season), 2025 (Torn ACL suffered at East-West Shrine Bowl)

— 2020 FCS Freshman All-American, SoCon All-Academic Team

— 2021 FCS Freshman All-American, Second-Team All-SoCon

— 2022 First-Team All SoCon

— 2023 Honorable Mention All-ACC

— 2024 Honorable Mention All-ACC

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OVERALL

Alijah Huzzie is a press-man corner in a slot corner's body. He has good footwork at the line of scrimmage to mirror and match and is solid at staying in phase when playing man coverage. However, he lacks the ideal length for an outside corner at 5'10" with sub-30-inch arms.

Huzzie could make the transition to the inside, as he lined up over the slot during the 2023 campaign, his first season at North Carolina. But he will need to be more consistent against the run and as a tackler to survive there in the NFL. His short-area quickness could also use some work.

The former Tar Heel projects as a backup and will have a chance to earn a roster spot early in his NFL career. However, he may have to spend next season on the PUP list after tearing his ACL in late January at the East-West Shrine Bowl. That injury could prevent him from getting drafted.

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GRADE: 5.8 (Backup/Draftable — 6th-7th Round)

OVERALL RANK: 261

POSITION RANK: CB33

PRO COMPARISON: Ja'Quan McMillian

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Written by B/R NFL Scout Matt Holder