Georgia football: Winners and losers of the NFL Combine

Georgia football put on a clinic in Indianapolis for the 2022 NFL Combine as the Dawgs’ development shined bright. From Jordan Davis to Jake Camarda, the 14 Dawgs came ready to impress and left Indy with a lot of confidence.

Those guys also showed just how quick they are across the board. This group of guys is so athletic and impressive to watch.

They all did their job and should be happy with their performances. The Dawgs could logically see 14 players drafted, which would crush the school record.

Georgia football had far more winners than losers at the NFL Combine.

Only three guys didn’t work out in Indy as Nakobe Dean, Derion Kendrick and Jamaree Salyer opted out. The other 11 players, though, proved what good NFL Combine performances could do for draft stocks.

Georgia turned the NFL Combine into the Dawg Combine in a matter of days, and regardless of who was on the field, they were the talk of the whole event.

It wasn’t just the defensive players either. Georgia’s running back duo put on a solid show, George Pickens showed his speed off, and Jake Camarda is one of the fastest punters out there.

A lot of guys left Indy with dollar signs in their eyes because they just made the moves needed to make a lot of money at the end of April. Georgia could even see five-plus first-round draft picks, which is wild because that isn’t usually what happens for the Dawgs.

Here are the winners and losers from the 14 guys who went to Indy this past week.

The losers of the 2022 NFL Combine

Georgia football didn’t take many losses last week at the NFL Combine. Instead, their critics did. While it was disappointing to see Nakobe Dean, Jamaree Salyer and Derion opt out of some of the workouts, they still aren’t considered losers. They will have their day during Georgia’s Pro Day later this month.

The Dawgs that worked out in the NFL proved every doubter wrong and changed many people’s minds. So let’s deep dive into the losers of the 2022 NFL Combine.

Loser: Tray Scott haters

When head coach Kirby Smart hired Tray Scott to coach the defensive line, there were some fans uncertain if the right call got made or not. He came to Athens in Feb. 2017, and while some questioned his abilities early on, once Scott got his guys in to the program, look what happened.

He took a 3-star, a JUCO transfer and turned them into potential first-round draft picks. Scott also took a 5-star defensive end and, in just three years, got him ready for the NFL and possibly a top-5 draft choice.

This year’s draft class is the start. Should we also take into consideration the rising junior monster that will be better than Davis and Wyatt? Scott is an evil genius and should be protected. Those who doubted him and his ability to recruit have no argument anymore because he will have three players taken early.

Georgia finally has the secret weapon for producing elite defensive lines, and hopefully, Scott doesn’t leave any time soon. He has outdone all of the haters and proved why Smart hired him for the job. The Dawgs need to give him a bigger raise and keep Scott on staff as long as possible.

Loser: Alabama WRs

The two Alabama wideouts who missed the national championship weren’t done running their mouths at the NFL Combe as John Metchie and Jameson Williams both felt like if they played, Georgia would have lost.

No, Alabama wouldn’t have won if either played because neither of them played defense, and Georgia was able to put enough pressure on Bryce Young that he made mistakes. In his media interview, the offensive lineman Jamaree Salyer quickly ended this debate, and it was an epic response.

We get it, though, football players will talk smack, especially when it comes to a game as important as the national championship, but those two are fooling themselves if they think Georgia wouldn’t have won that game.

When a team outscores another 20-7 in the fourth quarter and returns an interception for a touchdown, all the momentum is on one side, and it wasn’t Alabama’s.

Let them talk, though, whatever makes them feel better about it. We hope Metchie and Williams have long, successful NFL careers because they are two of the best receivers in the last few years.

Loser: “Georgia can’t develop” haters

The arguments that Georgia football can’t develop are long gone, and it’s about time. The Dawgs prove with 14 in the NFL Combine and most of their performances that real development happens in Athens. Also, look at Jermaine Johnson, who transferred out of the program, and how well he did in his final year at FSU. Georgia had a hand in that for sure.

Look at Eric Stokes, Azeez Ojulari, Deandre Baker, Roquan Smith, Isaiah McKenzie, Mecole Hardman and so many others that have gone in the last couple of years and still try to make the argument that Smart and Georgia cannot develop.

Georgia won a national championship for a reason — they had a generational defense that bullied teams every week and playmakers on the offense who trusted a former walk-on quarterback to lead them to glory.

It goes back to the argument that recruiting at an elite level every year produces championship-caliber teams. However, the right staff has to be in place, and this one knows how to develop — especially Scott and Glenn Schumann. We can’t forget about Dan Lanning either, though, because he also played a huge role.

Georgia develops its highly talented recruits and turns them into NFL players. If anyone says otherwise, they’re in denial or haven’t watched college football in the last six years.

The Georgia football winners from the 2022 NFL Combine

Georgia football won the NFL Combine, and before anyone acts like they didn’t, it doesn’t matter. The Dawgs took Indianapolis over by storm and proved what hard work and development could do for a program.

There is a reason Georgia demoralized 14 of their 15 opponents, and that is because of the freak-talent people saw last week at the Combine.

The winners of the 2022 NFL Combine are the Georgia players in general. All 11 that participated elevated their stock or proved why any mock draft before the Combine wasn’t accurate. The Dawgs are flat-out talented, and they showed that among the other players participating.

While we can’t list every great thing, here are the two winners for the NFL Combine.

Winner: Georgia football and that 40-yard dash

Instead of giving each guy a winning tag, it’s only fitting that we combine them all into one big section. Georgia got so much attention because of this group of 11 players that ran the 40-yard dash. The other workouts were great too, but this speed is unmatchable and worthy of greatness.

Georgia saw 11 guys run in the 40, and only one ran higher than a 4.78. Justin Shaffer finished with a 5.14 40-yard dash, which is good for him.

The Dawgs’ running back duo and George Pickens showed off their speed first. Zamir White clocked a 4.4 40-yard dash while James Cook beat his brother Dalvin’s time and posted a 4.42. Pickens ran a 4.47 40, showing that he is much faster than people remember. His performance also signified how important Ron Courson, head of the sports medicine department at Georgia, is to the program.

They took the right amount of time to rehab Pickens and didn’t rush anything. That patience paid off for the receiver at the NFL Combine, and he could sneak into the lower half of the first round or will be a high Day 2 pick.

Both running backs proved that the RBU title is still intact with their times. Cook deserves more respect for his name because that ceiling is way higher than his stats provide, but we all know that by now. White may have helped himself with his 40-yard time after two ACL injuries, and now it’s a waiting game.

The three defensive linemen heated things up for the Dawgs as Travon Walker ran a 4.51 40-yard dash at 275-pounds. He put on a show and did some of his best work on the right day. Devonte Wyatt ran a 4.77, and Jordan Davis ran a 4.78 — to both be over 300-pounds. Those 40-times sparked so much noise that Davis ended up trending on Twitter.

Jake Camarda proved he is a quick punter as he clocked a 4.56 40-yard time. Who would have thought the punter would be that fast, but of course, he is because every Georgia player was that fast.

The linebackers made themselves some money as Channing Tindall ran a 4.47 — but we expected that after watching him run down countless opponents to tackle them in the open field. Quay Walker ran a 4.52, which should elevate his stock some too.

Georgia made noise in the 40-yard dash, and it’s safe to say it will make this group a lot of money.

Winner: Lewis Cine

Before anyone mentions we left Cine out of the 40-yard dash section above, we thought he deserved his own moment for what he did at the NFL Combine. Cine clocked a 4.37 40-yard dash, marking the fastest among Georgia players and safeties.

When he ran that thing, it was incredibly athletic and so smooth. He edged out Notre Dame safety Kyle Hamilton by a mile with his speed and gritty playing style.

Some still claim Hamilton edges out Cine, but we disagree after seeing how hard he worked on Sunday. Because that raw talent is coachable, Cine should go first-round and ahead of Hamilton.

Whoever picks him up can fine-tune him, but that speed isn’t going anywhere. It wasn’t just his remarkable speed, but the 36.5″ vertical and 11’1″ broad jump. Those are first-round grades and will make some history by getting taken early.

This year’s NFL Combine will make history for Georgia football in producing the best draft class to ever come out of Athens. The next month is going to be fun watching mock drafts figure out where teams could take a Georgia player, because 14 of the 15 are getting picked up by some NFL team.