Daniel Jeremiah projects program-record first round selections for Georgia Bulldogs

NFL.com’s Daniel Jeremiah released his latest mock draft earlier this week, Mock 2.0 for him, and has a record number of Georgia Bulldogs off the board in the first round. With college all-star game season in the rearview, Jeremiah is projecting four Georgia players to have their name called in the first 32 picks of the 2022 NFL Draft. The previous program-record was three (Roquan Smith, Isaiah Wynn and Sony Michel) in 2018.

Travon Walker – No. 5 to the New York Giants

Jeremiah writes: “Walker is a unique talent because of his size, athleticism and versatility. The Giants need more playmakers on defense.”

This is higher than we’ve seen Walker in any other mock draft, but the freakish athleticism for his size makes the upside as high as anybody in this year’s draft class. At 6-foot-5, 275 pounds, Walker started all 15 games for Georgia at defensive tackle, finishing with 37 total tackles. That was second among interior linemen. Of those 37 tackles, 7.5 of them were for loss with 6.0 coming on sacks. Walker logged more time on the field than any other defensive lineman, playing 56 percent of defensive snaps, and finished with a team-high 36 quarterback hurries.

Devonte Wyatt – No. 16 to the Philadelphia Eagles (via Colts)

Jeremiah writes: “Wyatt is going to surprise when he tests at the NFL Scouting Combine. He’s a dynamic athlete and was a force in practice at the Senior Bowl.”

As Jeremiah points out, Wyatt was one of the top performers at the Senior Bowl before having to miss the game due to injury. He should be back to full speed though for the NFL Combine though, giving himself an opportunity to showcase why he was a Second-Team All-American according to the Associated Press. Wyatt finished with 39 tackles in 2021, tops among interior linemen, with 27 quarterback pressures. His team-high six-tackle, including 1.5 sacks, and three-pressure performance against Arkansas earned him SEC Defensive Lineman of the Week honors. Wyatt also had strong showing in the win over Tennessee as well as three straight games recording a tackle for loss to close out the regular season and open postseason play.

Nakobe Dean – No. 24 to the Dallas Cowboys

Jeremiah writes: “Dean would be the perfect middle linebacker for the Cowboys. He can direct traffic, provide leadership and free up Micah Parsons to be used as a pass rusher.”

There’s a reason why Dean won the Butkus Award for the best linebacker in the country and took home several All-American honors. There’s a reason why he was named All-SEC First Team by both the media and coaches. There’s a reason why he was voted one of the permanent team captains for the Bulldogs on their National Championship winning team. It all goes back to the idea of leadership that Jeremiah points out. Dean finished second on the team in tackles with 72 as he started all 15 games for Georgia at inside linebacker. He led the team with 10.5 tackles for loss including 6.0 sacks, just half a sack off the team-high. He also recorded 31 quarterback hurries, six pass breakups and two interceptions.

Jordan Davis – No. 32 to the Detroit Lions (via Rams)

Jeremiah writes: “The Lions could look for a QB here, but Davis would be a nice addition to a young defensive unit.”

Like Dean, Davis was one of the four permanent team captains as voted on by his teammates, an All-SEC First-Team selection according to both the AP and coaches, a consensus All-American and a winner of his positional award on the national level. Davis took home both the Outland Trophy for the best interior lineman as well as the Chuck Bednarik Award for the nation’s best defensive player. He’s one of just three players, joining Ndamukong Suh and Aaron Donald, to take home both of those honors in the same season. And while Davis put up decent stats – finishing with 32 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss and 2.0 sacks in 15 games – his impact shows up better on tape simply eating up blocks to allow others space to make plays.

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