Phil Steele ranks draft eligible Georgia players (Part 2)

Phil Steele’s College Football Preview magazine has started to hit the shelves of bookstores across the country, and with that, the buildup to the season is starting to amp up another notch. In the magazine, Steele shares his rankings of NFL Draft eligible players ahead of the season – both overall and position by position. With Georgia ranked No. 3 in the country according to Steele, there were bound to be several Bulldogs listed, and sure enough there were including two of the top five players overall and nine players in the top 10 at their position. Earlier today we shared with you the overall rankings for three players plus the position groupings on offense. Here’s how Steele breaks down the draft eligible Bulldogs on defense and special teams.

Defensive Line

We mentioned Jalen Carter as the No. 4 overall draft prospect yesterday, and he comes in at No. 1 among defensive tackles. Not far behind him is Zion Logue at No. 12. Carter was also named a Preseason All-American by Phil Steele.

Carter has played in every game since he stepped foot on campus in 2020, starting two each season. Last year he was named to the All-SEC Second-Team according to the coaches after a season that saw him finish with 37 tackles, 33 quarterback pressures, 8.5 tackles for loss and 3.0 sacks. He also blocked two kicks including an important one in the National Championship win over Alabama. Carter is expected to breakout even more in 2022 without the likes of Jordan Davis, Travon Walker and Devonte Wyatt – all three first round picks in the 2022 NFL Draft – also in the room.

With that trio leaving, there’s need for help outside of Carter too. That’s where Logue comes in. He played in all 15 games as a reserve defensive lineman in 2021, finishing with 11 stops and three quarterback pressures. He had two tackles in Georgia’s win over Auburn including a sack.

Tramel Walthour is the last defensive lineman listed at his position of defensive end. He’s No. 53 there having served as a quality backup over the course of the last two seasons. He played in all 15 games in 2021, finishing with 14 tackles, and in nine of 10 games in 2020. Like Logue, there’s greater opportunity – and need – for Walthour to step up in 2022 with the departure of the defensive linemen to last year’s draft.

Linebackers

Nolan Smith wasn’t the only linebacker listed by Steele. Coming in at the No. 2 outside linebacker behind Alabama’s Will Anderson, Smith was joined by Robert Beal at No. 17.

Smith finished second on the team in tackles for loss last season with 9.0 and fifth overall with 56 stops. Smith led Georgia in tackles with a career-high eight stops in the Bulldogs’ College Football Playoff Semifinal win over Michigan at the Capital One Orange Bowl, one of two times that he reached that number on the season.

As for Beal, maybe the least remembered major contributor on Georgia’s defense last season, he finished as the sack leader in 2021 with 6.5 quarterback takedowns. Beal recorded sacks in five of the last six games including a season-high four tackles in the College Football Playoff semifinal game against Michigan in the Capital One Orange Bowl. He followed that up with three tackles in the National Championship Game.

Defensive Backs

Rounding out the defensive draft eligible players that were highlighted by Steele, three defensive backs were selected. Kelee Ringo, the No. 5 overall draft prospect, is the No. 2 cornerback while Christopher Smith (No. 5) and Tykee Smith (No. 11) were ranked among the top draft eligible strong safeties.

Ringo was hurt for all of the 2020 campaign before coming back strong in 2021. A Freshman All-SEC Team selection according to the coaches last season, he finished with 34 tackles, eight pass breakups and two interceptions. One of those he returned for a touchdown in the National Championship Game to seal the deal for the Bulldogs bringing home the title. He has also been named an All-American by Steele in the preseason.

As for the two Smiths, Christopher played in 12 games, starting 11, and finished with 35 total tackles, four pass breakups, three interceptions and two quarterback pressures. He played every defensive snap in three game (Clemson, Tennessee and Alabama) and made an impact in each of those. His pick-six was the only touchdown scored in the season-opener against Clemson and gave Georgia the win while he also came down with an interception in the third quarter of the National Championship Game. Tykee on the other hand only played in one game – against Auburn – after a preseason foot injury limited his participation early in the season and a torn ACL ended it. He transferred into Georgia prior to last year and was an All-American at West Virginia before coming to Athens.

Specialists

The often forgotten specialists have three players listed so we promise not to be the next to forget them. Payne Walker, who has handled snapping duties on placement kicking, is the No. 4 long snapper according to Steele while Jack Podlesny is the No. 16 kicker. Podlesny made 22 of 27 field goal attempts for Georgia in his second season as the primary placekicker. His season long of 49 yards came in the College Football Playoff National Championship Game against Alabama while he hit a career-long 53-yarder in the season-finale the year before against Cincinnati to win the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl. Finally, wide receiver Kearis Jackson, who Steele named the No. 20 draft eligible wide receiver, also made the rankings at No. 17 as a punt returner. Jackson finished first in the SEC among punt returners in 2020 with a 52-yard return against South Carolina. His season long in 2021 was for 41 yards versus Charleston Southern.

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