Georgia Football: Lorenzo Carter in the NFL
By Mike Stowe
After the Georgia Football team only had one player drafted in 2017, there will likely be a lot more players picked next year. One of those players should be Lorenzo Carter.
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The 2017 NFL Draft has concluded. And as I and quite a few others predicted, Isiah McKenzie was the only Georgia player drafted . The Denver Broncos picked him in Round 5 with the 172nd pick. While it’s obvious that this year wasn’t a great one for the Georgia Football team going in the draft. It’s a great that several players decided to stay for one more year. They showed that they believe in Kirby and what he’s trying to build. It also shows that they know they need a better season before going pro.
Over the next few weeks, we will now look at those players and look into why they chose to return, how they can improve their draft status for 2018, and what kind of production we will possibly see from each this year. Barring injury, the 2018 draft will look much different than the 2017 when it comes to the number of UGA players taken.
A little about Lorenzo:
Let’s start with the guy who I think will be drafted the highest next year. Lorenzo Carter has all the tools and the skill set necessary to be a legit NFL defensive force. I predict he will be the first Dawg off the boards and go in the first round of the 2018 draft. And yes, that means I think he’ll go before Nick Chubb or Sony Michel . He was a key contributor on the 2016 defense and held the co lead on the team in sacks with five, but Carter has yet to live up to his full potential.
There were multiple games where he showed why he was so aggressively recruited coming out off high school ,including a good game against conference rival South Carolina and a dominant performance in the Liberty Bowl against TCU. He had 7 stops and 2 forced fumbles in the Dawgs 31-23 bowl win and proved what he is capable of. Look for bigger numbers from him in year 2 of Kirby Smart and Mel Tucker’ s defense. At 6’6″ and 242 pounds , he has that long ,lean build that a lot of NFL teams look for in an outside linebacker.
Where does he go?
While many people question returning to play and turning down millions of dollars, this was the right move for Carter. He’s always been a 1st round type- talent. The huge numbers just haven’t materialized yet. He was projected to go in the 3rd round in the 2017 NFL draft .
Next: What 2018 QB's are UGA looking at?
There are going to be a lot of tackles and sacks to be spread around Georgia’s front 7. It’s going to be one of the nations best. But Carter will be a force this year at the SAM linebacker position. Look for a 9 or 10 sack season with a ton of tackles in 2017. This should thrust him into the middle of the first round for the 2018 NFL draft.