The Georgia Bulldogs won a National Championship last year and now we get to see how many of Kirby Smart’s players get selected in Round 1 of the NFL Draft.
The Bulldogs put together a historically good defense on their way to their first championship since the days of Herschel Walker and a lot of the focus on the talent coming out of their program is centered around that side of the ball beginning with the presumptive No. 1 overall pick.
Travon Walker, a defensive end, didn’t have a huge impact in terms of his stats last year, but there’s plenty of buzz around him after his performance at the NFL Scouting Combine, so much so he’s now the odds on favorite to go first overall to Jacksonville.
Walker’s odds to be the first player selected are coming in at -450 on the FanDuel Sportsbook.
The former Bulldog might be exactly what the Jaguars are looking for at the top of the draft, but there’s certainly some risk associated there as well, despite the clear raw talent he possesses.
Daniel Jeremiah of NFL Network spoke highly of the incoming Bulldogs class of players headed to the NFL.
“Yeah, you know, the Georgia thing is fascinating,” Jeremiah said. “I haven’t seen anything like this in a while. I know Alabama has put out a bunch of really good classes and Ohio State has done the same thing, but just the sheer numbers of these Georgia guys, and they still manage to somehow have some studs that are still there that weren’t eligible for this.”
Below you can look at the odds of some of these Bulldogs being selected on Thursday night from the FanDuel Sportsbook. Keep in mind that Travon Walker and Jordan Davis are not listed here, due to their high likelihood to be selected early in the draft, specifically in Walker’s case.
Devonte Wyatt (-300)
Wyatt played a big role in UGA’s run-stopping defense and he appears as a heavy favorite to be off the board by the time the 32nd selection is made in Round 1.
Quay Walker (-300)
Walker put forth some highlight real plays this year and should be able to find success at the next level as well, with him being one of the top expected linebackers to be selected.
Nakobe Dean (-135)
Dean was arguably Georgia’s most important defender last year and it’s clear that teams are high on the linebacker, who could be one of the best in this draft class.
Lewis Cine (-115)
Cine won the 2022 National Championship Defensive MVP Award and should provide an instant impact to whichever team secondary he is ultimately selected to play in.
George Pickens (+125)
Pickens is the only one with plus odds out of this group of Georgia players and that’s likely only because he’s coming off a torn ACL and played limited snaps at the end of the 2021 season. He’s also the only offensive player coming out of Athens with a chance to hear his name called in the first round. There is no question Pickens is a first-round talent, but will a team take a chance on him?
After looking at these available players and their respective odds, it’s not difficult to see a scenario where potentially seven Bulldogs are selected on Thursday night in Round 1 of the NFL draft.
