What Was Said: Kirby Smart speaks on Georgia NFL prospects at Pro Day

ATHENS, Ga. — Georgia Football opened spring practice on Tuesday. That’s a look for Kirby Smart and company at what the future may hold this fall. As is customary though around Athens, the following day is dedicated to the past with the Bulldogs holding Pro Day for the NFL bound players. Nineteen players (including a few Georgia transfers that returned to Athens for the day) worked out on Wednesday at Georgia’s William Porter Payne and Porter Otis Payne Indoor Athletic Facility (better known as the House of Payne) for scouts to see. Here’s what Georgia head coach Kirby Smart had to say to reporters, speaking about those that participated.

Kirby Smart on his general thoughts on the Georgia draft class

“Excited for these kids. It doesn’t seem like we have as large a group as we had last year. I thought last year’s just sheer numbers was probably more. But some great kids, some guys that worked really hard for this day. A couple guys getting to work out today that didn’t get to work out at the combine which that’s really what the Pro Day is about.”

Smart on how he felt Stetson Bennett did during the workout

“To be honest, I didn’t get to see it. I was talking and visiting with different people, so it’s hard for me to judge. I know how he’s doing when he’s played games. I don’t think today’s any comparison to actually, what you do in the games matters more. He’s done a really good job of that.”

Kirby Smart on someone who he feels isn’t getting enough talk about them in the Georgia draft class

“I don’t listen to what anybody’s saying, so I don’t know who’s getting talked to more or less. I think we’ve got some really good, quality players that’ll make really good pros. Chris Smith’s a guy that’s been really productive, played well. Kearis is a guy that’s not getting to work out due to a surgery that I think’s a great player. Warren McClendon, who’s going right now, nobody’s been more productive in the SEC the last three years than Warren has. Hopefully he gets a great opportunity.”

Smart on if he’s had a chance to speak with Jalen Carter, his workout on Pro Day

“I haven’t got to see him work out much. I got to see him, he came out to practice yesterday. I got to talk to him and visit with him, got to see him work out a little bit today. But I haven’t got to visit with him much.”

Kirby Smart on what a team is getting in Darnell Washington

“Well, they’re getting a large human being that’s a target that can block and do so many things. He’s done a tremendous job, I think his weight was 264 at the combine. He played at high 270s, even 280s. He’s a much bigger passing threat than people probably understand when he’s at 264. I think he becomes a weapon in that league. He’s such a great target and he’s hard to cover. They’re going to get a really good player on and off the field. Excited to see him do well.”

Smart on Washington’s journey to Georgia

“Pretty incredible when you think about, I went on a home visit to Vegas and got to see him and meet his family and see kind of where he grew up. He’s a very mature kid. He had to mature at an early age. He’s a father. I think he takes a lot of pride in that. It says a lot about who he is. He’s had a plan since he got here. He’s followed that plan, he’s executed it. He’s been selfless. First play of the Kent State game, he’s running down the field literally jumping in the air, giddy because his other tight end is running a 70-yard touchdown run. I don’t think you find that many places because it wasn’t about him.”

Kirby Smart on if he’s getting questions about Carter and what he’s telling them

“There’s been a lot of questions about Jalen, which probably was inevitable anyway. When you start talking about, I got a lot of questions about Travon Walker when he came out. There’s a lot of questions generally, but with the situation, probably more questions and more direct. You just try to be honest and talk about the experiences we had with Jalen here. Jalen did not have to come back and play after his first injury, nor after his second injury. Both times he wanted to overcome that injury. He begged us to put him in in games he was hurt. The competitive character he’s shown I think has been really good. I also think his teammates really respect Jalen. Jalen earned the respect of his teammates. They love being around him. That’s a lot of things you can say about him.”

Smart on his sense for where Carter was at mentally given his off-field circumstances

“I was glad he came out to practice. I thought it was important to get him back around the guys and be around some of them. I think him being isolated away from us for a while, because he’s been out working out and training, it’s tough. I can only imagine what he’s dealing with internally as a survivor from a tragic accident, knowing the outcome of that accident. There’s some mental health things there that you have to be able to help with. I can’t speak to what he’s going through. He’s got to answer those questions. We’re certainly going to try to support him as much as we can.”

Kirby Smart on what teams have asked him about Bennett

“Strengths and weaknesses, what we think he can improve on, what his mental makeup is. All those things he get to showcase in every game he played in. I thought he did a great job of doing that.

Smart on areas in which Bennett can improve

“Well, decision making has been really good. He has shown improvement in those. But I don’t think you pick one area and say he can improve in this area. He can improve in everything. That he has done is played at the highest level of college football for a lot of games and he has played really well. That speaks volumes for itself.”

Kirby Smart on what the NFL turnout for Pro Day says about the program

“I think they do a good job covering us and we have an open-door policy. We’re one of the few teams in the country that will let you come in and watch anytime you want. We don’t have something to hide. We don’t say you can’t come this week or we’re paranoid that you’re going to see some play. They feel very comfortable. They give us good feedback about the access to our players and the access to our program. I think they appreciate that. They know that we’re their developmental league. That’s what we are. They don’t have a minor league. They have college football.”

Smart on the players that transferred out of Georgia but came back for the workout

“Well I think it says that we’re comfortable about them coming back. We have to permit that, too, and that’s not something a lot of schools feel like they should do. A lot of these kids, it’s about how you leave, right? Do you leave the right way? Do you handle things the right way? I’m proud for a lot of those kids. They were Georgia guys for a long time in some cases and for them to have an opportunity to come back and compete, I certainly want to honor that.”

Kirby Smart on Nolan Smith and why he’ll be successful at the next level

“Nolan is intelligent. He’s charismatic, teammates love him, he’s passionate. He’s full of energy and he’s one of the toughest guys I’ve been around. Nolan is going to be successful at whatever he does. He told me he’s going to come back and be the head coach at Georgia and I told him he could have it.”

Smart on the value of current Georgia receivers running routes for Bennett at Pro Day

“I don’t know that it’s valuable for them. I think it’s more valuable for Stetson because take those guys out of it and you don’t have anybody to throw to. So, really, it’s a luxury. It’s a nice reprieve the NFL has given to have guys be able to do that because without that, it probably doesn’t help Stetson. We needed guys to be able to come out and throw and catch and do those things. If anything it gives them some pressure catches they get to make.”

Kirby Smart on if Carter should be a top pick talent-wise

“Yeah, he’s a generational talent. He’s very talented. I’ve been around coaching for 18 years and there’s very few guys I’ve coached that have the talent that he has.”

Smart on the first day of spring practice yesterday, how things went

“Excited about it. We had really good energy, enthusiasm. A little windy, so we probably didn’t have the day you’d like that have as far as passing the football. But with 25 mile-an-hour gusts, that probably had a big part in that. I expect those guys to bounce back on that side. We didn’t have pads on so it’s hard to evaluate that but I did enjoy the energy and enthusiasm the guys had competing against each other.”

Kirby Smart on using Pro Day as a recruiting pitch

“Well, I think the recruiting pitch probably comes on draft day when it actually happens. Today is a great day for our guys to come work out but all the work they put in kind of gets paid off on draft day.”

Smart on the origins of “Do it for Devin” being the standard

“Probably from Warren Ericson. He spoke at the memorial service and he said it more like ‘Be like Dev’ because he was never on a list. He was never part of any discipline. Guy never missed a class or was late to anything. I thought Warren said it best when he said that this kid did everything right and if you want to be like somebody, be like Dev. Because he didn’t try to fake it. He didn’t try to be super tough. He was a gentle giant and more people should be who they are.”

Kirby Smart on Broderick Jones and his skill set compared to other Georgia tackles in the NFL

“Really talented. If you look at the guys we’ve had, they’ve got length, they’ve got athleticism. He’s probably faster and maybe twitchier than some of those guys, getting to the second level. Maybe not as powerful as an Andrew (Thomas) or one of those guys. But in a pass pro league, he’s elite at that.”

Smart on Robert Beal and what he brings to the next level

“Pass rusher, great athlete, is tough, physical. I think Robert is going to be really successful in the NFL.”

Video of Georgia players that participated including Stetson Bennett, Nolan Smith, Darnell Washington, Kelee Ringo and others can be found on the DawgsHQ YouTube channel here.