Georgia football has always produced lots of great NFL talent in its history. From Pro Football Hall of Famers such as Fran Tarkenton and Terrell Davis to present-day stars like Matthew Stafford and Nick Chubb, former Dawgs are scattered throughout the league.
One team, in particular, has a pretty good collection of former Georgia players, and that is the New York Giants. Though they are 0-2 on the season, several former Dawgs are having an impact on the defensive side of the ball for the Giants.
Teammates Azeez Ojulari, Tae Crowder, and Lorenzo Carter have a combined 18 tackles on the year for New York, with Ojulari adding two sacks in his first two games. Their efforts have helped New York rank second in the NFL in total tackles and tied for first in sacks in this young season.
Former Bulldog offensive lineman and top-5 pick Andrew Thomas is also representing the Dawgs on offense for the Giants as well.
Ojulari was drafted in the 2nd round of the 2021 NFL Draft after an outstanding career at Georgia. From 2018-2020, he amassed 71 total tackles, 19.5 of which were tackles for loss, 14 sacks, and four forced fumbles.
His most memorable performance came in the Peach Bowl against Cincinnati, where he was named defensive player of the game. He had three sacks on the day, and two forced fumbles and was key to helping the Dawgs complete their comeback to beat the Bearcats in Atlanta.
Tae Crowder was the famed “Mr. Irrelevant” of the 2020 NFL Draft, meaning he was the final pick of the entire draft. Initially enrolling at UGA as a running back, Crowder moved to inside linebacker in the middle of the 2016 season.
That proved to be a great career move for Crowder, as he finished his Georgia career with122 total tackles and had a pair of interceptions in his career.
He saw action in 11 games last season and started six of them. He also had this go-ahead touchdown against the Washington Football Team that would ultimately lead to a Giants’ win:
Tae Crowder, Mr. Irrelevant of the 2020 NFL Draft, just scored the potential game winning touchdown for the Giants first win of the season.
— Joe Pompliano (@JoePompliano) October 18, 2020
Just like they drew it up. pic.twitter.com/gLGseY2VUN
Lorenzo Carter was a 3rd round pick back in 2018. Carter was a big part of the 2017 Bulldogs team that won the SEC title and made an appearance in the CFP National Championship game.
He also had arguably the play of the year for Georgia against Oklahoma in the legendary 2018 Rose Bowl game, where he blocked the Sooners’ field goal attempt in double overtime, which led to the iconic Sony Michel walk-off touchdown for the Dawgs.
In his Giants’ career, Carter has had 103 total tackles with 9.5 sacks. An Achilles injury limited him to just five games last season, but he looks to be healthy this season so far.
With the play of these former UGA greats, the Giants could have one of the better defenses in the league and help them make some noise in the NFC East this year. Go Dawgs (and Giants)!