REPORT: Georgia's Players Rank Among the Most Skilled

After flexing its muscles last year with five players drafted in the first round of the 2022 NFL draft and going on to set an NFL record with 15 total players drafted, the Georgia football program looks to continue its NFL draft momentum when the 2023 version kicks off on April 27. While five first round picks in a single draft might prove to be a difficult number to match, coming off its second-consecutive national championship, Georgia is not short on talented prospects worthy of early round selections in this year’s draft. In fact, according to Matt Bowen of ESPN in his article identifying the best prospects at 53 different skills in the draft, a number of former Bulldogs are among the most skilled prospects in the 2023 NFL draft.

While Bowen inexplicably did not select Darnell Washington as the best blocking tight end in the draft, he did recognize the 6-foot-7, 265 pound tight end as the 2023 draft’s best red zone target.

“With a massive 6-foot-7, 264-pound frame and really good body control, Washington projects as a productive red zone target with more pass-game usage in the pros. He can run the seams and corners from the higher parts of the red zone, while also creating isolation matchups inside the 10-yard line.”

Offensive tackle Broderick Jones - who started every game at left tackle and did not surrender a single sack during Georgia’s 2022 national championship season - is widely expected to hear his name called during the first round of April’s NFL draft. Identifying Jones as the offensive lineman with the best footspeed, Bowen asserts it is his impressive combination of size and athleticism that accounts for his rising draft stock.

“A 6-foot-5, 311-pound ascending prospect, Jones can keep rushers off his edges and redirect to counter inside moves. He ran a 4.97-second 40-yard dash, which led all offensive linemen at the combine. And like Johnson, Jones has both the length (34¾-inch arms) and body control to develop into a starter who wins consistently on the left side.”

While Jalen Carter’s draft stock has fluctuated during the draft process due to legal issues and a poor pro-day showing in March, Bowen still views Carter as the most physical defensive lineman and one of the top overall prospects in the 2023 draft.

“Carter is a top-five prospect with game-wrecking talent. A force on the interior with a 6-foot-3, 314-pound frame, Carter uses his physicality to hold gaps or stone double-teams. And he can walk back guards in pass pro. Simply put, he's a people-mover.”

As opposed to Carter’s turbulent draft process, a record-breaking NFL combine performance in which he became the heaviest player ever to break 4.40 seconds (4.39) in the 40-yard dash and post a vertical jump greater than 40 inches (41.5), sent Nolan Smith’s NFL draft stock soaring. Yet, it is not Smith’s elite athleticism that stands out to Bowen, but rather his technical proficiency as Bowen named Smith the edge rusher with the best hand usage in the draft.

“Smith has the speed to attack off the edge, and he's slippery enough to snake through gaps. But let's not forget about the technique or the hand usage, which are key tools to creating early production as a pro. This is where Smith can stack and shed to create leverage for himself. He was limited to eight games last season because of a pec injury but still had three sacks.”

While Bowen did not tag running back Kenny McIntosh with a specific standout skill, he did classify McIntosh as one of his three favorite under-the-radar players in the 2023 draft, specifically highlighting his expert receiving abilities out of the backfield.

“McIntosh has the traits of an NFL third-down back. He's a natural hands catcher out of the backfield who will challenge blitzing linebackers in protection. He can also contribute in the run game as a change-of-pace back, with perimeter ability and the power to finish on contact.”

As the NFL draft process moves towards its conclusion at the end of April, Georgia once again appears positioned to make a splash in the NFL draft.