UNC’s Ratliff-Williams declares for NFL draft

The junior wide receiver caught 42 passes this season after being a first-team All-ACC selection in 2017

Anthony Ratliff-Williams reaches for a pass during UNC's season opener against California on Sept. 1 (AP Photo/D. Ross Cameron)

  Wide receiver Anthony Ratliff-Williams has decided to forego his senior season at North Carolina to enter the NFL draft this spring.

  The junior from Charlotte announced his intentions Wednesday on Instagram.

  Ratliff-Williams ranked second on the Tar Heels with 42 catches for 689 yards and two touchdowns this season. He finishes his UNC career with 77 catches for 1,340 yards and eight touchdowns. He also returned two touchdowns, ran for a score and threw two touchdown passes.

  He was a first-team All-ACC selection as a return specialist in 2017 while also earning third team recognition as an all-purpose player.

  In his Instagram post announcing that he has declared for the draft, Ratliff-Williams thanked outgoing UNC coach Larry Fedora, his staff and Butler High coach Brian Hales “for giving me the opportunity to play the game I love and help prepare me to play at the next level.”