Two Bulldogs significantly raise draft stock at NFL Combine per Mel Kiper
The 2023 NFL Scouting Combine is in the books. Once again, a few Georgia players did their best to steal the show. We saw fast 40-times, great workouts, and tremendous individual plays from Bulldog standouts over the course of last week. ESPN’s Mel Kiper singles out two of them among his top 10 risers.
Kiper singled out edge rusher/linebacker Nolan Smith and quarterback Stetson Bennett as two of the players who helped themselves out the most. He listed them inside his top 10.
Bennett ran well, posting a 40-yard dash time of 4.67 seconds, but it was his position workout and arm strength that caused a stir.
“I thought Bennett had an outstanding workout Saturday, both in the passing drills and in the athletic testing,” Kiper writes. “Since he didn’t play in an all-star game after his season ended, this was the first time NFL teams have gotten to see him up close. He threw the ball very well. He ran a better-than-expected 4.67 40-yard dash.
“Bennett’s college production isn’t in question; he completed 68.3% of his passes with 27 touchdowns and seven picks in 2022. The question is more about his frame, as he measured just under 5-foot-11 — a little taller than Bryce Young — and his arm strength. He throws the ball hard, but can he consistently connect on a deep out down the field? An arrest for public intoxication in January didn’t help his stock in the eyes of front-office execs. Bennett also will turn 26 as a rookie. Still, he’s in the Round 4 range on my board, and I think he’ll have a long NFL career.”
Smith represents Georgia well…
Smith took his turn on the first day of workouts at the NFL Combine and blew everyone away. He posted a tremendous 40-time of 4.39 seconds in addition to a vertical leap inexcess of 40 inches. The Savannah, Ga. native also blew teams away during meetings.
“Smith, who tore his right pectoral muscle in November and missed the rest of the season, did just three drills on the field Thursday night, but he was elite in each one,” Kiper writes. “He ran a 4.39-second 40-yard dash and put up a 41.5-inch vertical and 10-foot-8 broad jump. At 238 pounds, he is now the second-heaviest player to run a sub-4.4 40 and have a 40-plus-inch vertical jump at the combine since 2006 (Vernon Davis is the other). Those are unreal numbers for an outside linebacker.
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NFL teams covet edge rushers — it’s one of the positions they reach for most. Smith has all the physical tools teams want in an outside linebacker, but he had just 6.5 sacks over the past two seasons and too often got swallowed up by offensive tackles. He has to develop more pass-rush moves. I don’t have a Round 1 grade on Smith — he’s my No. 3 OLB — but I could see a team falling in love with him and taking him in the 15-25 range in April.”
ESPN highlights other Bulldogs…
ESPN NFL Draft analysts Jordan Reid and Matt Miller also had good things to say about Bennett. Miller picked him as one of his top Day 3 risers and, like Kiper, pointed to a strong workout. Smith was amongst the Bulldogs discussed as well.
They also mentioned freakishly talented tight end Darnell Washington. At 6-foot-7 264 pounds, Washington posted a 40-time of 4.64 seconds and had one of the best shuttle times amongst the tight ends. He also measured in with 11-inch hands.
Miller and Reid also discussed UGA cornerback Kelee Ringo, who ran the 40 in 4.36 seconds but helped himself the most in drill work. The he flashed the fluidity that teams were questioning.
