College Football Team Revives ‘Best Ever’ Debate After 45th NFL Draft Selection

The 2021 Georgia Bulldogs already had a national championship to their name. Now they have something no college football program has ever claimed before.

When offensive lineman Micah Morris was selected by the Minnesota Vikings in the sixth round of the 2026 NFL Draft, just a few rounds after former Bulldogs QB Carson Beck was drafted by the Arizona Cardinals in Round 3, he became the 45th player from that title-winning squad to hear his name called over five years of drafts. That broke the previous record of 44 set by Alabama's 2017 national championship team.

Morris was the last player from that roster still on Georgia's active roster last season, as highlighted by On3's Anthony Dasher, making his selection a fitting farewell to one of the most talent-loaded rosters ever assembled in college football.

Inside the 2021 Georgia Bulldogs' championship season

Under head coach Kirby Smart, the Bulldogs finished the 2021 season 14-1, capturing the SEC East Division title and the program's first College Football Playoff national championship since 1980. Their defense was the nation's best, allowing just 10.2 points per game.

The team's path to the title was not without turbulence. After losing the SEC Championship Game to Alabama, Georgia became the first No. 3 seed to win the CFP national championship, and the first team to win an AP national title after losing their conference championship game in the same season.

Georgia coach Kirby Smart raises the National Championship trophy while celebrating after winning the College Football Playoff National Championship game. | Joshua L. Jones / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The national championship came down to a dramatic fourth quarter. Alabama led 18-13 with roughly 10 minutes remaining before Stetson Bennett led back-to-back scoring drives, capping them with touchdown passes to Adonai Mitchell and Brock Bowers to take a 26-18 lead. A Bryce Young desperation pass was then picked off by Kelee Ringo, who returned it 79 yards to seal the win.

Of the 85 players on that roster, 45 were ultimately drafted. Thirteen were taken in the first round alone, led by Travon Walker going No. 1 overall to Jacksonville in 2022.

Where the 2021 Bulldogs stand in the all-time greatest debate

The record-setting draft haul invites a broader question: where does the 2021 Georgia squad rank among the greatest college football teams ever assembled?

The "best ever" debate is one of college football's most durable arguments, drawing on 150-plus years of the sport and producing few consensus answers.

For those ranking all-time greatness, the 2001 Miami Hurricanes, the 1995 Nebraska Cornhuskers, and the 2005 Texas Longhorns are regularly in the mix. By one metric, the 2019 LSU Tigers, who beat all four of the preseason's top-ranked teams on the way to a national title, score among the highest of any team in the modern era.

LSU Tigers wide receivers Justin Jefferson & Ja'Marr Chase — Some might consider the 2019 LSU Tigers wide receiver duo of Justin Jefferson & Ja'Marr Chase, anchored by quarterback Joe Burrow, as one of the best college football teams of all-time. | John David Mercer-Imagn Images

The most honest measure of the 2021 Georgia squad may be its pro pipeline. No other single roster in college football history has produced 45 NFL draftees. For context, the 2008 Florida Gators, long cited as one of the sport's elite teams, sent 19 players to the NFL, less than half of Georgia's total.

That gap is staggering regardless of era. The Bulldogs' 13 first-round picks from that team also represent a depth of top-end NFL talent rarely seen from one roster. Whether that makes them the definitive best ever is a debate that may never be fully settled, but the evidence is hard to dismiss.

Players drafted from the 2021 Georgia Bulldogs

2022 NFL Draft (15): Travon Walker, DE, Jacksonville Jaguars (Round 1, Pick 1); Jordan Davis, DT, Philadelphia Eagles (Round 1, Pick 13); Quay Walker, ILB, Green Bay Packers (Round 1, Pick 22); Devonte Wyatt, DT, Green Bay Packers (Round 1, Pick 28); Lewis Cine, SAF, Minnesota Vikings (Round 1, Pick 32); George Pickens, WR, Pittsburgh Steelers (Round 2, Pick 52); James Cook, RB, Buffalo Bills (Round 2, Pick 63); Nakobe Dean, LB, Philadelphia Eagles (Round 3, Pick 83); Channing Tindall, LB, Miami Dolphins (Round 3, Pick 102); Zamir White, RB, Las Vegas Raiders (Round 4, Pick 122); Jake Camarda, P, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Round 4, Pick 133); Justin Shaffer, OL, Atlanta Falcons (Round 6, Pick 190); Jamaree Salyer, OT, Los Angeles Chargers (Round 6, Pick 195); Derion Kendrick, CB, Los Angeles Chargers (Round 6, Pick 212); John Fitzpatrick, TE, Atlanta Falcons (Round 6, Pick 213)

2023 NFL Draft (10): Jalen Carter, DT, Philadelphia Eagles (Round 1, Pick 9); Broderick Jones, OT, Pittsburgh Steelers (Round 1, Pick 14); Nolan Smith, OLB, Philadelphia Eagles (Round 1, Pick 30); Darnell Washington, TE, Pittsburgh Steelers (Round 3, Pick 93); Kelee Ringo, DB, Philadelphia Eagles (Round 4, Pick 105); Stetson Bennett, QB, Los Angeles Rams (Round 4, Pick 128); Chris Smith, DB, Las Vegas Raiders (Round 5, Pick 170); Robert Beal Jr., DE, San Francisco 49ers (Round 5, Pick 173); Warren McClendon, OT, Los Angeles Rams (Round 5, Pick 174); Kenny McIntosh, RB, Seattle Seahawks (Round 7, Pick 237)

Former Georgia Bulldogs tight end Brock Bowers (19) runs after a catch during the third quarter against Auburn at Jordan-Hare Stadium. | Jake Crandall / USA TODAY NETWORK

2024 NFL Draft (10): Brock Bowers, TE, Las Vegas Raiders (Round 1, Pick 13); Amarius Mims, OT, Cincinnati Bengals (Round 1, Pick 18); Ladd McConkey, WR, Los Angeles Chargers (Round 2, Pick 34); Kamari Lassiter, DB, Houston Texans (Round 2, Pick 42); AD Mitchell, WR, Indianapolis Colts (Round 2, Pick 52)*; Javon Bullard, DB, Green Bay Packers (Round 2, Pick 58); Jermaine Burton, WR, Cincinnati Bengals (Round 3, Pick 80)*; Tykee Smith, DB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Round 3, Pick 89); Sedrick Van Pran, C, Buffalo Bills (Round 5, Pick 141); Zion Logue, DL, Atlanta Falcons (Round 6, Pick 197)

2025 NFL Draft (8): Tate Ratledge, OG, Detroit Lions (Round 2, Pick 57); Dylan Fairchild, OG, Cincinnati Bengals (Round 3, Pick 81); Jared Wilson, C, New England Patriots (Round 3, Pick 95); Arian Smith, WR, New York Jets (Round 4, Pick 110); Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins, DL, Minnesota Vikings (Round 5, Pick 139); Smael Mondon, LB, Philadelphia Eagles (Round 5, Pick 161); Warren Brinson, DL, Green Bay Packers (Round 6, Pick 198); Dan Jackson, DB, Detroit Lions (Round 7, Pick 230)

2026 NFL Draft (2): Carson Beck, QB, Arizona Cardinals (Round 3, Pick 65)*; Micah Morris, OL, Minnesota Vikings (Round 6, Pick 207)

*Transferred from Georgia before being drafted

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