Georgia Bulldogs on Pro Football Focus 2022 NFL Draft Big Board

It’s always common to see the reigning National Champions have tons of players picked come the spring NFL Draft. That’s expected to be the case for Kirby Smart’s Georgia Bulldogs coming off of the program’s first title in over 40 years as UGA defeated Alabama 33-18 on January 10th in Indianapolis. Leading the nation with 14 players invited to the NFL Combine, scouts are high on the Bulldogs. Pro Football Focus seems to like Georgia too, landing 11 players in their list of top 150 prospects for the 2022 NFL Draft.

Nakobe Dean (No. 16)

PFF writes: “Dean’s range at the linebacker position is unparalleled in this draft class. He’s not only straight-line fast, but he also processes and reacts with elite quickness.”

Dean, who was SEC Defensive Player of the Year according to Pro Football Focus, played in all 15 games for Georgia, Dean recorded 72 tackles, second-best on the team. He was named the winner of the 2021 Butkus Award as the nation’s best linebacker and an All-American by several different outlets. Of his 663 snaps, PFF has 121 listed as pass rush snaps, 218 as run defense snaps and 324 as coverage snaps. Dean did quite a bit in all three of those categories, finishing with 6.0 sacks and 28 quarterback hurries on the pass rush snaps, a team-high 10.5 tackles for loss as well as 6 pass breakups and 2 interceptions. According to PFF, Dean’s best game, graded a 91, came against Florida when the inside linebacker had a 50-yard interception return for a touchdown to go along with seven tackles, one pass breakup and one quarterback hurry. He also had 11 stops against Tennessee. Dean’s overall grade comes in at a 91.8, first among all linebackers.

Travon Walker (No. 23)

PFF writes: “Walker is an elite physical specimen for a 6-foot-5, 275-pounder who even dropped into coverage this season and managed a pass breakup. He’s still figuring out how to rush the passer, but you can’t teach what he has.”

Walker finished the 2021 season with 37 tackles, second among interior linemen, including 6.0 sacks and 7.5 tackles for loss in 15 games started. His 36 quarterback hurries ranked atop the team. Walker’s best game according to PFF, graded at a 76, came against South Carolina when the junior had two tackles including an assisted tackle for loss. Meanwhile, he posted a career-best five tackles against Kentucky. Walker’s overall grade came in at a 71.4.

Devonte Wyatt (No. 25)

PFF writes: “Between the two Georgia defensive tackles, Wyatt is the far more explosive athlete, and it showed as a pass-rusher, where Wyatt finished with an 84.0 grade. He was dominant at the Senior Bowl.”

Wyatt finished first among interior linemen on Georgia’s roster when it came to tackles with 39. He also had 27 quarterback pressures and 7.0 tackles for loss, including 2.5 sacks on the season, leading the team in tackles in the win over Arkansas as he brought down the quarterback 1.5 times. However, PFF had his 91.9 graded game against Tennessee as tops for them. There he also had six tackles. Wyatt’s overall grade comes in at an 89.3,

Lewis Cine (No. 36)

PFF writes: “Cine was the biggest riser down the stretch for the Georgia defense, and he’s one heck of a tackler — for his career, he missed only 11 tackles on 159 attempts.”

Cine ended up leading the team in tackles on the season with 73, one more than Dean. He was named First-Team All-SEC by the AP and Second-Team by the coaches. The AP also voted Cine as a Third-Team All-American. With 822 snaps on the season, including 536 in coverage, Cine’s best game according to PFF, a 85.1 graded game, was against Missouri when he had four tackles. He also twice totaled eight, against Florida and Tennessee, while earning Defensive Player of the Game honors in the National Championship. Cine’s overall grade came out to an 82.4.

Jordan Davis (No. 39)

PFF writes: “Davis is a one-trick pony, but it’s one impressive trick. The 6-foot-6, 360-pound defensive tackle will not be moved in the run game.”

Davis, named both an All-SEC and All-American player, is best known for his size, not necessarily his stats. In a total of 378 snaps played this season, he only accounted for 32 tackles, 5.5 of which came for loss. His overall grade comes in at 79.8 with a season-best 83.1 coming in a game he played sparingly versus Vanderbilt, not recording a stat. However, his season high for tackles game against Auburn with five to his name.

George Pickens (No. 59)

PFF writes: “Pickens tore his ACL last spring and only came back for Georgia in the last game of the regular season. He was a potential WR1 after a massive freshman year but never built upon it.”

Pickens is an interesting case of drafting based on potential. He only played 63 snaps in 2021 coming off of an ACL injury, catching five passes for 107 yards. His best grade came against Alabama in the National Championship with a 78.3 as Pickens made a game-changing play early on by hauling in a pass for a gain of 52. His overall grade comes in at 73.5.

Jamaree Salyer (No. 69)

PFF writes: “Salyer played all over the Bulldogs offensive line in his career, but he’s firmly an interior lineman in the NFL. He has some of the strongest hands in pass protection in the class and only allowed four pressures in 2021.”

Salyer moved around on the offensive line during his career, playing the majority at offensive tackle over the past two seasons. However, his best football was played inside at guard. Salyer registered a season-high 77.7 against Kentucky with an overall grade of 68.3 as he allowed just one sack and two hits on the quarterback over the course of his collegiate career.

Others Included

Channing Tindall (No. 79)

Quay Walker (No. 82)

James Cook (No. 103)

Derion Kendrick (No. 120)