Georgia football: Kirby Smart knows how to move the NFL Draft needle

The 2021 Georgia football NFL Draft class

Most recently, Georgia football saw nine Dawgs selected in the 2021 NFL Draft, setting a new school record for most players taken in a single year.

Head coach Kirby Smart saw at least one player drafted in the first round for the fourth straight draft class. In 2021, Eric Stokes was that guy as the Packers selected him at the 29th overall pick.

Georgia had two second-round picks in 2021. Tyson Campbell, a fellow defensive back, got selected by the Jaguars early in the second round as he got taken off the board at the 33rd overall pick. Azeez Ojulari was the other second-rounder as the Giants picked him 50th overall.

The Dawgs saw three third-round picks as Monty Rice went 92nd overall to the Titans, Ben Cleveland went 94th to the Ravens, and Tre’ McKitty went 97th to the Chargers.

Richard LeCounte, the third defensive back off the board for Georgia, got drafted in the fifth round by the Browns at the No.169 pick.

Trey Hill got selected by the Bengals at pick No. 190 and the fourth defensive back, Mark Webb, went late in the seventh round at 241st in the draft, narrowly setting the school record.

This group of players has seen some success as rookies, which is great to see. Sometimes it takes players a couple of seasons to get acquainted, but not these players.

Stokes lived up to his first-round status as he started 14 games for the Packers. He finished his rookie season with 55 tackles and one pick. Stokes is such a success story for the Dawgs as Smart took a chance with him and turned a 3-star defensive back into a first-round draft pick who lived up to the hype.

He is a walking recruiting tool for the Dawgs and will continue to be as he keeps being successful.

Campbell also started 14 games as a rookie where he recorded 73 tackles, 10 pass breakups, two tackles for loss and two interceptions for the Jaguars. He will keep getting better and will likely have a long NFL career.

Ojulari has already put his stamp on the league. He started 13 games for the Giants, recording 49 tackles, two pass deflections, eight tackles for loss, 13 quarterback hits and eight sacks. Those eight sacks set a new rookie record for the Giants. Year 2 will be a big one for him, but Ojulari is also showing the NFL why Georgia is LBU.

Rice had four starts but got hurt in Week 12, resulting in the Titans putting him on the injured reserve list. It wasn’t the best rookie season for the young linebacker, but when he is healthy, the Titans will appreciate his production.

Cleveland played in 12 games and started four at guard for the Ravens. A lot thought he wouldn’t be someone to last in the league, but Baltimore seems to like him. McKitty had some success too as a rookie, catching six balls for 45 yards in LA. LeCounte saw playing time in nine games.

Hill was a huge asset for the Bengals up front as he played in 13 games and started three at center. He was a member of the Super Bowl team that fell just short to the Rams this past February, but the future is bright for him.

Of these nine players, seven of them are already making an impact for their teams. That ability to be productive as a rookie stems back to the development that Georgia provides. Without that development, it isn’t certain any of these players would be in the league right now.

Smart made the right changes and it’s already paying off with these draft classes being able to produce immediately for teams. That trend will continue into 2022 as this large group of playmakers patiently wait to see where they will get selected.

Georgia football will look to keep setting school records and breaking NFL Draft ones tonight as round one of the 2022 NFL Draft begins at 8 p.m. ET.