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

Georgia football head coach Kirby Smart is no stranger to having players get selected in the NFL Draft, and since he got to Athens, the success has continued.

Four of the five drafts had at least one player selected as a head coach in his first five seasons. There have been 30 players drafted, including seven first-round picks.

However, this draft class will trump the first five because it will be historic. While draft classes like this rarely come along for any school, seeing the Dawgs genuinely have 14 guys who can have long NFL careers shows what Smart has done with this program.

Georgia football head coach Kirby Smart moves the needle for the NFL Draft.

When Smart took over in Dec. 2015, the expectations were high, but he continues to meet and exceed them. It’s incredible to see how much this program has grown in this short amount of time.

However, we will focus on the 2017-2021 NFL Drafts for this article. While he was around for the 2016 NFL Draft, those weren’t his players.

The Dawgs did see five guys drafted that year — Jordan Jenkins, Leonard Floyd, Malcolm Mitchell, John Theus, and Keith Mitchell.

Georgia has truly evolved throughout the last five draft classes and showed Smart’s changes to the program. While some say there are more five-stars in Athens, so of course, there will be more drafted, but that isn’t it.

The development is there, these coaches are preparing them in a way that wasn’t happening in Athens before Smart, and his staff took over the program. These players know what to expect and have prepared for this next chapter, and it’s honestly impressive to watch it unfold.

Smart is transforming Georgia into an NFL feeder school — not in the eyes of Dawg fans, but football fans across the country see it.

When you see 15 guys declare for the Draft, and 14 of them are highly likely to get selected, something is going right for that program. However, this situation isn’t like the 2019 LSU team because Georgia reloaded and will continue to see impressive draft classes as long as Smart stays the head coach.

Let’s dive into his draft classes and discuss what those players are doing.

The 2017 Georgia football NFL Draft class

Smart’s first draft in Athens saw one player get selected, and the 2017 Draft is the only time he hasn’t had a first-round pick.

Isaiah McKenzie got selected by the Denver Broncos during the fifth round. He was the 28th pick in that round and 172 overall.

McKenzie made a bold choice to declare for this draft because most thought he would come back one more season. While McKenzie isn’t truly a fifth-round pick, there was a lot of unknown about him, so it wasn’t surprising to see him go that late in the draft.

The Broncos had him on the team for two seasons before McKenzie signed with his current team — the Buffalo Bills.

McKenzie is speedy, and the Bills initially used him on kickoff duties as their return guy, but he eventually worked his way into the offense. He can do a little of everything, which helped him get some offensive snaps.

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His best season was in 2020, as he recorded 30 catches for 282 yards and five touchdowns. McKenzie also scored on an 84-yard punt return.

Last year, he had 20 catches for 178 yards and one score, but it was enough for the Bills to extend his contract for two more seasons.

It’s hard to believe that McKenzie has been in the NFL for five seasons, but he has and continues to succeed. He almost has 1000 receiving and return yards through those five seasons as he is at 922 receiving and 968 kick return yards.

McKenzie is making a name for himself in the league, and as long as he stays healthy, the Bills should keep utilizing him.

The 2018 Georgia football NFL Draft class

After the Dawgs beat Oklahoma in the Rose Bowl and fell short to Alabama in the national championship, Georgia saw six players drafted in the 2018 NFL Draft. This draft class featured leaders who came back for one more year to leave a legacy, and they did.

Even if they did fall short of winning a championship, this group showed what Smart could do and how the future of Georgia football would look.

The 2018 class set the school record for most first-round picks with three. Roquan Smith was the eighth overall pick as the Bears chose the Butkus Award winner. Then the New England Patriots decided one Dawg wasn’t enough, so they picked up two in seven picks. Isaiah Wynn was the 23rd, and Sony Michel was the 31st pick.

On Day 2, fellow running back Nick Chubb went 35th overall to the Cleveland Browns and  Lorenzo Carter got drafted in the third round at 66th overall to the New York Giants. Day 3 saw Javon Wims get swooped up in the seventh round at pick No. 224 to the Bears.

Wynn and Michel have both won a Super Bowl ring in New England in 2019. Since then, Michel left the Patriots and landed on the Rams squad, where he won his second ring in 2021. Wynn is still with the Pats and plays when healthy.

Chubb is hands down one of the best running backs in the league. He may not have two rings like Michel, but he has already emerged as a top NFL back that the Browns can trust to make plays. He is already a three-time Pro Bowler and proved to the teams who skipped on him in the first round that they made a huge mistake.

Since getting drafted, the running back has played in 58 games and amassed 4,816 rushing yards, 36 touchdowns, and averages 5.3 yards a carry.

Not to mention, Chubb has just five fumbles in 908 attempts, 46 runs that went 20-plus yards, and 13 that went 40-plus yards. He also has 92 catches for 751 yards and three touchdowns, but he shines the most when he totes the rock.

Smith is living up to his first-round draft pick status as he is one of the Bears’ leaders on defense. Something about the way he plays stands out, and Chicago seems to love him.

He has played in 61 games, recording 524 tackles, with 348 of them being solo ones — that means 66% of the time, he makes the play by himself. Smith has five interceptions, one returned for a touchdown, 43 tackles for loss, 17 quarterback hits, and 14 sacks.  He continues to grow as a player and prove why Georgia is LBU.

Carter found success with the Giants as the linebacker has 14.5 career sacks, 21 tackles for loss, and 35 quarterback hits. However, after fighting back from a 2020 Achilles injury, he now heads home to play for the Atlanta Falcons as he signed a one-year contract with them this off-season.

This draft class gave Dawg fans their first taste of what this program would be like under Smart, and now look at Georgia — they could have 14 drafted this weekend.

The 2019 Georgia football NFL Draft class

In the 2019 NFL Draft, Georgia football saw seven players get selected, one more than the previous year. There was one first-round pick in Deandre Baker as the New York Giants selected him 30th overall.

Mecole Hardman saw the Kansas City Chiefs wait it out and snag him in the second round with the 56th overall selection. The second Georgia receiver, Riley Ridley went in the fourth round to the Chicago Bears as they picked him up with the 126th pick.

D’Andre Walker went to the Tenessee Titans during the fifth round, Isaac Nauta got drafted in the seventh round to the Detriot Lions and rounding out this class was Terry Godwin who got picked up at pick 237 by the Panthers in the seventh round.

While the 2018 Draft class has its players still succeeding in the NFL, this 2019 class has seen some ups and downs with its members.

Hardman has had the most success among these seven players as he was a member of the 2019 Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl team. He made an immediate impact on the team as a rookie and continues to be one of Patrick Mahomes go-to receivers.

In 49 games, he has 126 catches for 1,791 yards and 12 touchdowns. Hardman catches the ball 67.6% of the time and is coming off a strong third season. If he stays healthy, the Chiefs will continue to see Hardman succeed.

While Baker went in the first round, he hasn’t had the most normal path. The Giants waived him in Sept. 2020 after he got arrested and when Baker returned to the NFL in 2020, the Chiefs signed him.  In 10 appearances, he has 82 tackles and 10 pass deflections.

He isn’t quite living up to the first-round expectations, but now that he is back on track, Baker can change that.

Gaillard had success with the Cardinals as he saw playing time in 13 2020 games, but they waived him in July 2021. It didn’t take him long to find a new home as the Bengals signed him, waived him in August and signed him back on their practice squad.

He signed a reserve contract in February with the Bengals, so Gaillard could return to the field in the near future.

Godwin had to find the right spot for himself after getting waived by the Panthers. He landed in Jacksonville where he finally saw game action in 2020 recording three catches for 32 yards, but since then he has been on the injured reserve list.

As for Walker, Ridley and Nauta, they spent a little time on teams, but ultimately got waived or cut and haven’t done much since then.

Hardman is the star of this class and this 2019 class shows that it doesn’t always work out at the next level for some.

The 2020 Georgia football NFL Draft class

Despite the world going through a global pandemic, football found a way to live on, and Georgia football saw seven players drafted in the 2020 NFL Draft.

There were two first-round picks, and both went to those big bullies up front that protect the quarterback. The New York Giants took a shot on a Georgia player for the second straight year as they picked Andrew Thomas fourth overall.

Isaiah Wilson was the second offensive lineman taken in the first round for the Dawgs as the Tennessee Titans drafted him 29th overall.

Surprisingly enough, D’Andre Swift wasn’t a first-round pick but should have been because he is a flat-out stud. The Lions drafted him 35th overall in the second round, and he was the second running back off the board that year.

Solomon Kindley was the Dawgs’ third offensive lineman taken off the board in the fourth round at 111th overall by the Miami Dolphins. Jake Fromm got drafted by the Bills in the fifth round at the 167th pick, Charlie Woerner went sixth round at the 190th pick, and Georgia saw Tae Crowder selected by the Giants in the draft’s final selection — dubbing him the 2020 class’ Mr. Irrelevant.

However, getting picked last doesn’t mean anything when you have worked with head coach Kirby Smart, Glenn Schumann and Dan Lanning. Crowder was ready for whatever came at him, and he has flourished since getting into the league. He came to Georgia as a running back and left as a linebacker, but that journey led him to the success he has now.

In two seasons, he has 187 tackles, seven pass deflections, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery, a fumble recovery that resulted in a touchdown and two interceptions.

Thomas is another out of this draft class that has thrived in his first two seasons. He has 28 starts and has seen playing time in 29 games. The Giants seem to love Thomas, and he seems at home up north.

Swift is representing RBU proudly in Detroit. He took a leading role as a rookie with 114 carries for 521 yards and eight scores, but he shared the load with Jamaal Williams in his second season. He did have 123 carries for 419 yards and three scores. In his two short years in the league, Swift has 940 yards and 11 touchdowns.

However, Georgia fans know that Swift has excellent hands and has made plays in the passing game during his first two years in the league. Swift has 96 catches for 777 yards and four touchdowns.

Kindley is also starting his NFL career off strong as he started 13 games as a rookie with the Dolphins, and he saw playing time in 16 games in 2021. Woerner has had some small successes as well.

He played in 14 games as a rookie and 17 in year two with the 49ers. Despite being a late pick and someone many people thought would go undrafted, Woerner’s ability to block has helped him keep his spot on the team.

As for Fromm and Wilson, those two have struggled to get their footing in the NFL. The Bills never put Fromm on the field while he was with them and got picked up by the Giants last November. New York put him in three games where he completed 45% of his passes for one score and three picks. He is currently a free agent, but maybe the NFL isn’t for him, and it’s time for Fromm to get into coaching or whatever he plans on doing next.

Wilson may have been a first-round pick, but he is probably the biggest bust to come out of Smart’s draft classes. His time with the Titans was brief, and Wilson couldn’t stay out of trouble long enough for Tennessee to keep him around. He violated team rules and had a lot of off-the-field issues, so they traded him to the Dolphins last March.

That stint in Miami lasted three days. He signed with the Giants practice squad in September but is now a free agent after getting released in January. While Wilson could turn things around, it’ll be hard to convince a team to give him a shot. He had so much potential but couldn’t stay out of trouble to live up to it.

This draft class had far more success stories than failures, marking another successful class sent into the NFL for Smart.

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.