Three Georgia players taken in first round of 2025 NFL Draft
The opening round of the 2025 NFL Draft is in the books and it went very much like many thought it would for the Georgia Bulldogs. It wasn’t long ago that Kirby Smart and company set a program record for most players in the first round with three in 2017. They later broke that record in 2022 with five first-round picks.
Tonight three more UGA players were picked and all were on the defensive side of the ball. One big difference in what had been widely-projected coming into the night is the guy who broke the ice for Georgia. Most thought it would be Jalon Walker at No. 8 to Carolina. The Panthers did not select the North Carolina native and Mykel Williams ended up being the first Bulldog off the board.
He was taken No. 11 overall by San Francisco and that got the night started for the Bulldogs. According to 49er general manager John Lynch, the organization didn’t think that the Columbus, Ga. native was available.
“We were,” Lynch said when asked if he was surprised that Williams fell to his team. “We were hanging on. We thought there were a number of instances of where he might go and just kept watching the deal. Other guys kept showing up so that was a good thing for us. Really, really pleased with adding Mykel to our group.”
Walker didn’t have to wait long to hear his name called and the pick satisfied a large number of Bulldog fans. He was taken No. 15 overall by Atlanta, becoming the highest-drafted UGA player in the history of the Falcons’ franchise. Atlanta also traded back into the first round later to pick Tennessee EDGE James Pearce.
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The Falcons get a guy who has led Georgia in sacks over the past two seasons. Walker has also played off-ball linebacker, won a Butkus Award, and served as a Georgia team leader.
Malaki Starks was picked No. 27 overall by the Baltimore Ravens, making it a banner night for the Bulldogs 2022 recruiting class. All three players inked with Georgia in that class and all three of them played three seasons in Athens before moving on.
Starks will pair up with Georgia native and former Notre Dame standout Kyle Hamilton in The Charm City. Starks was the only UGA player in Green Bay for the NFL Draft.
Rounds two and three of the 2025 NFL Draft will take place on Friday, April 25 at 7 p.m. ET. Rounds four through seven will kick off the following day at 12 p.m. ET. There are 14 other draft-eligible Bulldogs who could be picked in the next six rounds.
