It's no secret North Carolina's defense was good last fall. Just look at the numbers: sixth in total defense (270 yards per game) and 13th in scoring defense (17 ppg).

And those numbers were piled up with a terrible offense that kept giving the ball away.

Not surprisingly, with nine starters back on defense, the 2010 hype machine is starting to roll.

Not only does ESPN draft guru Todd McShay rank two Tar Heels among his top-10 defensive prospects for the 2011 NFL draft -- tackle Marvin Austin at No. 5 and end Robert Quinn at No. 6 -- he has this to say at the end of Quinn's blurb: "Don't be surprised if Quinn emerges as the top prospect on a Tar Heels defense that will draw comparisons to the USC Trojans group from 2008."

The 2008 Trojans yielded 222 yards and nine points per game. They surrendered just six touchdown passes all season. That squad finished 12-1 and ranked third in the nation (No. 2 in the final USA Today poll).

That defense featured eight picks in the 2009 draft, four of whom went in the first two rounds.

It was a pretty fancy crew.

But McShay makes a completely reasonable comparison.

This list of the top-32 2011 NFL draft prospects includes four Tar Heels defenders: Austin, Quinn -- at Nos. 3 and 7 overall -- as well as safety Deunta Williams and linebacker Bruce Carter, at Nos. 28 and 31. What about linebacker Quan Sturdivant? He made the list of "just missed" prospects.

Moreover, UNC's 2009 numbers look a lot like USC's 2007 numbers: The Trojans gave up 273 yards and 16 points per game -- with a much better offense than the Heels in 2009.

On the ACC spring conference call last week, coach Butch Davis said the emphasis this spring was building depth at linebacker and in the secondary. But you want to know what could cause the UNC defense to really put up stunning numbers?

The offense cutting its turnovers in half and consistently moving the ball, which is why the quarterback competition between maligned senior T.J. Yates and strong-armed freshman Bryn Renner figures to be one of the hottest items of the ACC preseason.