He nearly never played. Now he's ready for the NFL.

CHARLOTTE — Snubbed by the NFL Combine, the chip on North Carolina wide receiver Anthony Ratliff-Williams’ shoulder grew just a little bit bigger.

But the snub should have been no surprise for an athlete who has spent his entire life proving people wrong.

His senior year at Butler High School in Matthews, Ratliff-Williams was a dominant force at quarterback. He was one of the most coveted players at that position, and started out as a Tar Heel thinking he’d eventually be the main attraction under center.

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But after redshirting his freshman season, then moving to wide receiver and barely playing at first, Ratliff-Williams said it was just one more hurdle he had to clear.

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“I had to take my own time and kind of had to take time away from football and learn myself a little more take time to understand the game a little more respect the game a little more,” he said.

He almost never played football. He was diagnosed with severe asthma as a toddler. His mother, Dinah, lost two jobs as she took time off to care for him.

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Now Ratliff-Williams is projected by most experts to be selected in the sixth or seventh round, with a chance to make his childhood dreams come true.

Cox Media Group