In January, Georgia made history, winning it all for the first time in 42 years.
But the national championship-winning Bulldogs’ legacy didn’t end there. It was slated to continue this weekend in Las Vegas at the 2022 NFL Draft.
Kirby Smart’s program was one to watch Thursday night, with seven potential first-round picks who, if they all went in the first 32 selections, would set a new bar for a college football program.
Alabama (2021) and Miami (2004) held the current record of six first-round picks. The Bulldogs’ dynamic, top-ranked defense, which led them to the crown while allowing a microscopic 10.2 points per game, was leading the charge.
“Where do I start with this group, man. That was the longest individual group I had to do in terms of watching tape,” ESPN draft analyst Todd McShay said. “It’s just that this group is loaded.”
It was expected to produce three top-20 picks in edge rusher Travon Walker and defensive tackles Jordan Davis and Devonte Wyatt. Linebackers Nakobe Dean — the Butkus Award winner as the nation’s top linebacker — and Quay Walker, along with safety Lewis Cine, were also viewed as potential first-rounders. So was 6-foot-3 wide receiver George Pickens, who returned late last year from a torn right ACL.
Georgia’s Travon Walker could go No. 1 in the NFL Draft. AP
Jordan Davis (99) is one of two Georgia defensive tackles expected to go in the top 20 picks of the draft. USA TODAY Sports“Me, personally, I’d definitely have to say we’ll be remembered as the best defense in college football history,” Walker, who became the first Bulldog defensive end taken in the first round since David Pollack in 2005, told USA Today Sports. “From a college standpoint, they’ll probably compare us to the Chicago Bears defense back in the day.”
The fun in Athens, Ga., won’t end Thursday night, either. Georgia is projected to have 14 players taken in the 2022 draft. That would tie LSU and Ohio State, who had that many players selected in 2020 and 2004, respectively. Georgia has never had more than three first-round picks, which happened in 2018 when Roquan Smith (8), Isaiah Wynn (23) and Sony Michel (31) were picked.
“I think it’s very unique to have this kind of collection of talent,” Smart told reporters ahead of the draft. “You don’t have that every year — it’s not every year you’re going to have 14 guys at the NFL combine. It’s tough to do, and I’m proud of this group.”
