Georgia football currently has eight confirmed guys entering the NFL Draft, and there will be more, but the latest to declare is Derion Kendrick.
The Dawgs took a chance on the former Clemson Tiger when no one else would and developed him into one of the best shut-down corners in college football.
Now he has two rings from two different programs, making him someone NFL teams need to remember. He has this determination and grit about him, and those are two things that are just within a person.
Georgia football loses its second defensive back to the draft in Derion Kendrick.
On the season, Kendrick finished with 41 tackles, two tackles for a loss, one quarterback hurry, four interceptions, and three pass breakups. Those four picks lead the Dawgs as he recorded two of them against Michigan in the Orange Bowl.
Derion Kendrick transferred to #UGA right after the Dawgs lost seven members of the secondary. Can't stress how big that was for Georgia pic.twitter.com/jj3Ix7WTA4
— Radi Nabulsi (@RadiNabulsi) January 16, 2022
Kendrick and the coaching staff immediately connected when he chose to come to Athens, and he has been a crucial piece of the puzzle.
Georgia desperately needed depth in the secondary when Kendrick came, and well, he took advantage of that. He isn’t afraid to talk about the second chance the Dawgs gave him, and now look at Kendrick. He was such an impactful player on the back end of the defense.
In his announcement, he thanked Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney, which proves just how classy he is as a person. He was a 5-star out of high school and played wide receiver, and now he is one of the country’s top corners.
Kendrick is a Dawg for life now and will forever be one of the guys who made the first title in decades happen. Georgia was lucky to have him on this team, and he proved his worth all year long.
This decision doesn’t come as a surprise because it’s time for him to take the next step and make some moves in the league.
https://twitter.com/PFF_College/status/1480577677958467593?s=20
These PFF numbers are wild to see, especially with him being in Athens for one year. Kendrick was one of the best in Georgia, and those numbers prove it.
It seems like the draft experts have him going in the second round, but he will be a big surprise wherever he ends up because of who he is as a person. While the physical matters, his work ethic is what will make some team very happy to have him.
Georgia football could break the record for most players drafted as there are at least 10 guys who could get picked up by NFL teams. The next few weeks will be important as they’ll work out, host the NFL day in Athens so that the projections could change, but for now, the Dawgs could see a legendary draft later this year.