PFF shares three-round look at NFL Draft, Georgia Bulldogs

Pro Football Focus writer Trevor Sikkema released a three-round mock draft recently that features several Georgia Bulldogs. Four players find their name off the board in the first round while two more do so over the next two rounds, giving UGA six players picked, tied for second most of any school in the country.

Jalen Carter – No. 9 (Chicago Bears)

PFF writes: Who knows where Jalen Carter will be picked at this point? His off-the-field situation is clouding his entire draft projection. He’s one of the most talented players in this class, but there’s a chance he could be picked at the back end of the top 10 or even outside it.

Carter finished up his Georgia career by being named an unanimous All-American in 2022, one of just 13 in program history. Of course though his off-field matters have distracted from the on-field success after Carter was arrested for misdemeanor charges of reckless driving and racing this offseason. Carter totaled 32 tackles on the season including 7.0 for loss, all of which came in a five game stretch after returning to full strength from a few injuries that bothered him early in the year.

Broderick Jones – No 13 (New York Jets)

PFF writes: With all signs pointing to Aaron Rodgers on his way to New York, the Jets will need to make sure the offensive line is as good as it can be. Jones doesn’t have a ton of starting experience to his name, but what he’s shown has already been promising.

Jones started all 15 games for Georgia at left tackle, stepping in after Jamaree Salyer departed for the NFL this time last year. Jones had an impressive outing in Indianapolis at the NFL Combine, running the fastest 40 of all offensive linemen.

Nolan Smith – No. 18 (Detroit Lions)

PFF writes: Dan Campbell is going to love Nolan Smith. I know edge rusher isn’t their biggest area of need, but if Smith makes it this far in the order, I have a hard time believing he wouldn’t be a Lion. Smith is passionate about football, has elite athletic traits and will defend the run until his last breath.

Speaking of impressive Combine performances, Smith might have been the most impressive player there overall. He posted the fastest 40 and highest vertical jump of players at his position, becoming the heaviest player to run sub-4.4 and jump higher than 40 inches in Combine history. That was an important accomplishment for him too coming off of an injury that ended his 2022 campaign. Maybe an interesting projection as a first rounder a few weeks ago, it’s seeming more and likely by the day.

Darnell Washington – No. 28 (Cincinnati Bengals)

PFF writes: The Bengals could be looking for some offensive line help at the back end of Round 1, but they’ll also need to address the tight end position with Hayden Hurst now out of Cincinnati. They can touch on both needs with the selection of Darnell Washington, a massive 6-foot-7, 270-pound tight end who is a rare athlete for his size and almost like a sixth offensive lineman on the end of the line of scrimmage.

Washington had a career year in 2022, catching 28 passes for 454 yards and two touchdowns. All three single-season categories are better than his previous two years combined. Washington also put up single-game highs for his Georgia career with 78 yards versus Vanderbilt and five catches, including a touchdown, against Mississippi State.

Kelee Ringo – No. 49 (Pittsburgh Steelers)

Christopher Smith – No. 75 (Atlanta Falcons)

The two players projected outside of the first round by Sikkema are the two Georgia defensive backs in the draft. Ringo was once considered a lock to be a first round pick. He had a good but not great redshirt sophomore season in 2022, picking off a pair of NFL Draft prospect quarterbacks but also seemingly getting beat by receivers who got open. As for Smith, who was named a unanimous All-American, he’s a bit undersized for a safety and doesn’t have elite tools to make up for it, but his film shows strong play in a conference that’s elite. He finished top five on the team in tackles with 61 stops including five for loss plus a team-high three interceptions.