Interesting Anonymous Comments Made by Coaches Regarding Georgia Football

A week after a historical 2022 NFL Draft for the University of Georgia, where the Bulldogs set the record for most players taken in the modern NFL Draft era by any program, with 15 players going over the three-day and seven-round event.

As people called it in the leadup, the NFL Draft served as a three-day "rolling advertisement" for Georgia football. In the week following, much of the conversation has been centered around praising what head coach Kirby Smart and Georgia did, putting that many guys in the league in just one draft class.

Here is a stat for you:

- Kirby Smart: 45 players drafted in first six seasons at UGA
- Nick Saban: 27 players drafted in first six seasons at Bama
- Dabo Swinney: 28 draft picks in first six seasons at Clemson
- Lincoln Riley: 32 draft picks during 5 seasons at OU
— Jonathan Williams (@Dr_JWill) May 5, 2022

While fans and media alike appreciate what Georgia did in the latest NFL Draft, some coaches do not share the same appreciation. In a recent ESPN+ article, Adam Rittenberg reveals the comments of anonymous coaches about Georgia.

“The kid that went first, I can’t believe that,”

- Anonymous coach on Travon Walker going first overall

“A lot of really good GMs out there were probably laughing behind closed doors. The cardinal rule of drafting that early is you don’t ever project. That’s where every mistake has been made.”

- Anonymous coach on Travon Walker going first overall

Travon Walker's rise up the draft board caused great debate about whether or not his "high upside" justified taking him over Michigan defensive end, Aidan Hutchinson. Hutchinson's stat production fit the mold of a conventional first overall pick.

“You’ve got backups getting drafted.”

- Anonymous coach on Channing Tindall getting drafted

The surprise didn't end with Walker going first overall, as a coach even pointed out that Channing Tindall got drafted without ever recording a start in his collegiate career. The coach does not point out that Tindall played behind Butkus Award winner Nakobe Dean and first-round pick Quay Walker.

“If Georgia didn’t win the national championship, the defensive staff should have been fired,”

- Anonymous coach

The most interesting take of all the comments made in Rittenburg's article is that Kirby Smart should've fired his whole defensive staff if Georgia did not win the national championship against Alabama. The coach is obviously pointing to just how talented the defense was in 2021. The historic Georgia defense dominated the regular season and helped bring the program a national championship and later saw five defenders go in the first round of the NFL Draft.

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