Georgia QB, RB among most interesting players in draft pool

Georgia Football has had plenty of success in the NFL Draft the last few seasons with Bulldogs being picked seemingly left and right, especially as of late. A record 15 players were selected in 2022 with eight on the defensive side of the ball. Since Kirby Smart arrived, 19 defensive Dawgs have been taken including 14 the last two drafts. And while that trend is likely to continue with Jalen Carter possibly the No. 1 overall pick and Nolan Smith and Kelee Ringo potential first rounders themselves, the most interesting storylines to follow for the Bulldogs could be on offense.

While quarterbacks move the needle in any given year, Georgia’s Stetson Bennett isn’t considered to be one of those. More likely to be a late round draft pick, teams could easily fall in love with Bennett and the winning he’s done at the college level.

“Stetson Bennett is a tricky one,” NFL.com draft expert Daniel Jeremiah said. “Obviously, the age, as we talked about a little bit earlier with Hendon Hooker. You have that as well. Gosh, the guy has won two National Championships. He’s shown the ability to make a lot of different throws. He is just to me streaky as a thrower. He has some bad misses where you’ll see — you’ll see worm burners on low flat routes and swing routes. Like, what was that? Then you’ll see him squeeze the ball in tight windows later on in that same game. He is just a little bit streaky, a little inconsistent there.”

“Obviously, really undersized guy. But I was talking with a GM, gosh, had to be over a month ago, and he just said, ‘If Bryce Young can be the first overall pick at his size, then why is Stetson Bennett talked about as a sixth or seventh round pick at his size?,'” Jeremiah continued. “I said, well, he (Young) is a better player. He says, ‘No, I get that, but is the gap six rounds wide, you know? Or could you take him in the third, fourth round?’ I don’t know. I think most teams have him on day 3, but he will be an interesting test case, no doubt.”

Bennett started 32 games over the course of three seasons at Georgia including all 15 this past year for the National Championship winning Bulldogs. He was a finalist for the Heisman Trophy and took home both the Burlsworth Award and the Manning Award, throwing for 4,127 yards and 27 touchdowns while adding 10 scores on the ground. Bennett was named MVP of the SEC Championship Game, Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl and the College Football Playoff Championship Game as Georgia went 15-0.

Another interesting one for Georgia comes in the form of running back Kenny McIntosh. As Jeremiah pointed out, it’s a deep class of running backs this year with 13 players having top three round grades in his opinion. That both helps and hurts the individual prospects. Once one is taken, teams may feel inclined to get theirs and avoid missing out in the middle of a run on running backs, but at the same time, teams may feel that they can wait longer, knowing that they are comfortable getting any of them.

In the case of McIntosh, it’s his versatility that stands out most. The Fort Lauderdale, Fla. native led the Bulldogs in rushing this past season with 829 yards and 10 touchdowns while adding 504 receiving as well with two scores. That total was good for third on the team.

“Yeah, what he does in the passing game, the way he moved around, you see some Tony Pollard type stuff with him. Maybe not, without that elite, elite top speed. He is an excellent route runner. They’ll use him on some jet sweeps. He has burst. He can make you miss,” Jeremiah said. “I think he is more comfortable getting outside as a runner than banging away inside. He has to work in pass protection where he likes to go low and he has whiffed a couple of times. I love the value he adds on third down. Get out of the back field and make plays.”

Both Bennett and McIntosh will put their skills to the test this week in Indianapolis at the NFL Scouting Combine. Bennett and the quarterbacks work out with receivers and tight ends on Saturday while the running backs take the field at Lucas Oil Stadium on Sunday. On-field workouts for all positions will air on NFL Network.