NFL Draft: A Pair Of Bulldogs Go In NFL Draft’s Opening Round
By Danny Bishop
Jarvis Jones, photo by Sonny Kennedy, http://www.sonnykennedyphotography.com/
Georgia linebackers Jarvis Jones and Alec Ogletree were selected 17th and 30th, respectively, in the first round of the 2013 NFL Draft on Thursday night in New York.
The Pittsburgh Steelers selected Jones with the 17th overall pick while the St. Louis Rams picked Ogletree with the 30th overall pick.
This Georgia duo are the first Bulldogs taken in the first round since the Cincinnati Bengals selected A.J. Green with the fourth overall pick in 2011. The last time a pair of Georgia players were selected in the first round was in 2008 when Matthew Stafford went first to the Detroit Lions and Knowshon Moreno went 12th to the Denver Broncos.
The Steelers, whose starting punter is former Bulldog All-American Drew Butler, last selected a Georgia player in the draft in 2005 with Fred Gibson (fourth round, 30th pick, 131st overall). Ken Shackelford (sixth round, 16th pick, 190th overall) was the last Georgia player selecteNL by the Rams.
Georgia has now had 15 players selected in the last three years with the final six rounds remaining of the 2013 draft.
A 6-3, 241-pound native of Columbus, Jones played in 26 games over his two seasons with Georgia, starting all of them. He finished his career with 28 sacks in that span (1.08/game), which is tied for third in school history. Jones also recorded 44 tackles for loss of 235 yards, 155 total tackles, nine forced fumbles and an interception during his time as a Bulldog.
Jones, a 2012 consensus First Team All-American, finished the 2012 season leading the nation in sacks (14.5 for loss of 103 yards) and tackles for loss (24.5 for loss of 132 yards) and forced fumbles (seven). He was third on the Bulldogs with 85 stops and added an interception and two fumble recoveries in 12 games played last season (Jones was injured for two of Georgia’s 14 games).
In his final game with the Bulldogs, Jones set the single season record for sacks (14.5) after adding a pair versus Nebraska in the Capital One Bowl. He also took over the No. 1 ranking for tackles for loss in a season (24.5) with two against the Cornhuskers.
Jones joined the Bulldogs as a scout team member in 2010 after transferring from Southern California. He was a consensus First Team All-American in 2011 after leading the SEC in sacks (13.5) and tackles for loss (19.5) and piling up 70 tackles in 14 games.
Alec Ogletree, photo by Sonny Kennedy, http://www.sonnykennedyphotography.com/
A 6-3, 232-pound native of Newnan, Ogletree appeared in 10 games for the Bulldogs in 2012 and made nine starts. During his time on the field last year, he piled up 111 tackles and was the team’s leading tackler in each of the final six games.
Ogletree, who also snagged an interception against Ole Miss last season, was named to the Phil Steele All-America Third Team thanks in part to his performance during the win over No. 16 Nebraska in the 2013 Capital One Bowl. He registered 13 tackles, including a sack, forced a fumble and recovered a fumble.
Ogletree finished the year as one of the Bulldogs’ Most Valuable Defensive Players. Another career highlight for Ogletree came against No. 2 Alabama in the SEC Championship Game as he recorded 11 tackles and returned a blocked punt 55 yards for a touchdown. Ogletree spent his three years on Georgia’s roster with his twin brother Alexander Ogletree, who suited up at fullback.
Rounds two and three will start on Friday at 6:30 p.m. The fourth through seventh rounds will be on Saturday starting at noon. When the final pick was chosen in 2012, the Bulldogs had seven players chosen.
All photos copyrighted property of Sonny Kennedy, sonnykennedyphotography.com/