Former Georgia football players got recognized in a big way recently by their peers.
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The NFL annually polls its players to rank the league’s top 100 players before the season begins. Georgia has seen its fair share of former players make the list over the years, but the Bulldogs landed more players on the list this year than any other school.
In total, six former Bulldogs made the cut. LSU was the next-highest school, placing five former players on the list.
Wide receiver A.J. Green was the highest-ranked player from Georgia, as he was named the 16th-best player in the NFL. Since his professional career began in 2011, Green has been one of the best receivers in the NFL.
Green, who plays for the Cincinnati Bengals, has caught for well over 6,000 yards and 45 touchdowns. Last season, Green caught 10 touchdowns and recorded more than 1,200 receiving yards. Both of those totals were up from an injury-hampered 2014 campaign.
Todd Gurley was ranked No. 22 by the league’s players. He burst onto the scene as a rookie last year, finishing the season with 1,106 rushing yards. That was the third-best total in the league.
Gurley, one of the Los Angeles Rams’ biggest stars, set an all-time record, too, by carrying the rock for 566 yards in his first four starts. All of that led to Gurley earning the AP Offensive Rookie of the Year award once the season concluded.
Justin Houston succeeded at Georgia, and that carried over to his time in the NFL. His peers recognize it, too. Houston, a linebacker for the Kansas City Chiefs, has 223 total tackles to his credit since his rookie season (2011) and 56 sacks. He led the league in sacks back in 2014, bringing down opposing quarterbacks 22 times.
Houston battled injuries last season, which kept him out of five games and limited his contributions, but other players still think highly of him: He was rated No. 26 in the NFL.
Geno Atkins was close behind Houston, coming in at No. 29. The Bengals’ defensive tackle is fresh off an impressive showing in 2015.
Atkins recorded 11 sacks last season, the most he’s notched since he had 12.5 sacks back in 2011. For his career, Atkins has 140 total tackles and 43 sacks.
Carolina’s Thomas Davis was voted the 54th-best player in the league. Knee injuries hampered the early parts of Davis’ NFL career, but he’s become a reliable linebacker for the Panthers.
Davis gained more notoriety the last few years. He won the 2014 Walter Payton Man of the Year award, and made headlines during the Panthers’ run to the Super Bowl last season. Davis broke his arm in the NFC Championship game against the Cardinals, but famously returned to play in the Super Bowl two weeks later.
The last former Bulldog on the NFL Top 100 list was Reshad Jones. Jones, a defensive back for the Miami Dolphins, notched a career-high five interceptions last season, returning two for touchdowns.
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He’s been a reliable asset for the Dolphins his whole career, as the lowest number of games he’s played in any given season was 12 in 2014. Jones has played in every Dolphins game three times in his six seasons.
We’re glad to see so many former Bulldogs receive the respect of their peers. We hope they’ll do enough to warrant a selection to this list again next season.