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Former Georgia tight end John FitzPatrick now NFL bound

by:Jack Mathison•04/30/22
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Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Former Georgia tight end John FitzPatrick finally heard his name called after being taken by the hometown Atlanta Falcons with the No. 213 overall pick in the NFL Draft. FitzPatrick becomes the record-breaking 15th Georgia player taken in this year’s draft.

FitzPatrick spent four years with the Bulldogs after graduating from Marist School in Atlanta, Georgia. Coming out of high school as a consensus four-star tight end, FitzPatrick was considered the 15th best prospect at his position in the country before committing to Georgia in August of 2017.

In his Georgia career, the redshirt junior caught 17 passes for 200 yards and a touchdown, which came against Arkansas in the 2020 season opener. In Georgia’s bowl game against Cincinnati, the tight end caught 4 passes for 41 yards, which were both career highs for a single game.

While his numbers don’t pop off of the stat sheet, FitzPatrick played a huge role in the success of the Georgia offense during the 2021 season, despite working through an injury that he sustained during the midseason. 

“He probably needed surgery about halfway through the year,” said Kirby Smart. “ He chose not to have that surgery. He wanted to play out the year. He did that and did a really good job for us. The good news is he’ll be healthy for all the mini-camps and all the OTA days wherever he gets to go. But he’s bulked up some; I think he’s jumped to 265. They want him to be able to play Y, so he’s added some weight.”

FitzPatrick is one of the many Georgia players that took advantage of new NIL legislation to start the DGD Fund, a platform for Georgia fans to raise money for five various charitable organizations. The former Georgia tight end works on the project with Owen Condon, Payne Walker, John Staton IV, and Stetson Bennett IV.

Back when the DGD Fund was initially started, Smart commented on the company and what it meant to him that his players were embarking on their mission.

“It does not surprise me at all,” Smart said of his players’ decision to start the DGD Fund. “People know how great the University of Georgia is and to have players that feel like, ‘Hey, here is my opportunity to use my platform to get people to give to the DGD Fund so that I can in turn give back to the charity or organization that I take pride in,’ I think it says a lot about those guys that they are not trying to put money in their pocket. They’re trying to benefit some organization that is greater than themselves, and they are doing it through the Georgia name. I don’t know anywhere in college football that guys are doing that. They are not trying to benefit themselves, they are trying to benefit others. Anytime you do that I think you should be recognized.”

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