Georgia Bulldogs in the NFL: Three Dawgs Selected to the Pro Bowl
The Georgia Bulldogs have placed an abundance of players in the NFL in recent years as always. It can be argued that no college football team has produced more NFL talent over the last decade and a half.
In fact, when you combine the salaries of all NFL players from each university, no college alumni, would have a total that exceeds the group of players from the University of Georgia.
Three of those talented players are now NFL All-Stars, being selected to the first Pro Bowl of a new decade.
Geno Atkins • Defensive Tackle
Geno Atkins is the most veteran player among the Georgia Bulldogs to make the Pro Bowl. Atkins was a four year player for the Dawgs from 2006 to 2009, under coach Mark Richt. He was named to the All-SEC First Team in 2007 when he racked up 7.5 sacks. Gino entered the 2010 NFL Draft and was selected in the fourth round.
Geno Atkins has spent his entire career as a member of the Cincinnati Bengals. This year's Pro Bowl selection marks the eighth time in ten seasons that Atkins has received this honor. Geno has made his name as a professional by eating quarterbacks for Sunday brunch. His 75.5 sacks make him one of the top interior pass rushers of the past decade. Geno Atkins, in fact, has put himself in position to one day add himself to the distinguished list of Dawgs in the NFL Hall of Fame.
Nick Chubb • Running Back
Nick Chubb was selected to his first NFL Pro Bowl. The Georgia Bulldogs' second-leading rusher in school history and the third leading All-Time SEC runner, played for the Georgia Bulldogs from 2014-17. He played two seasons under Mark Richt and two under Kirby Smart. Chubb and his backfield mate Sony Michel surprisingly returning to Athens for their senior seasons was a primary reason the Bulldogs nearly won it all in the 2016-17 season.
Nick Chubb entered the professional ranks as a second-round draft pick of the Cleveland Browns. He came into this final week of the 2019 NFL season, as the league's leader in rushing yards. Chubb is soon to pass 2500 career rushing yards and has already scored 16 touchdowns in just two seasons as a pro.
He has looked even more agile in the NFL, often eluding defenders in the hole with jump-cuts and using a burst of speed to get to the second level. He's showing to be another special player in a long line of running backs, that make the University of Georgia the modern-day Running Back U.
Mecole Hardman • Wide Receiver/ Kick Returner
Mecole Hardman also made his first Pro Bowl. More impressively he joins a small percentage of NFL players to make the Pro Bowl as a rookie. The native of Bowman, Georgia played on campus in Athens from 2017 to 2019. The two-time All-SEC selection amassed 961 yards as a Dawg while scoring 11 touchdowns. Hardman also added two rushing scores and another as a punt returner, before leaving UGA and entering the NFL Draft, prior to his senior season.
Mecole Hardman was selected by the Kansas City Chiefs in the second round of the 2019 NFL Draft. He earned his Pro Bowl selection, based on his work as a return man, as he compiled a combined 871 yards as a kick and punt returner. He scored one touchdown as a returner, a 104-yard burst against the Los Angeles Chargers on the final game of the regular season, to valid his Pro Bowl selection.
