Georgia football: 3 ruthless thoughts from round 1 of the NFL Draft

Georgia football came, saw, took some photos, and bullied the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft just like it did to opponents last season.

Five Dawgs got selected last night, setting the record for not just the most Georgia players drafted in round one but also setting the most defensive players taken in the first round.

If those two things didn’t make night one historic enough, Georgia also tied the record for most No.1 overall picks at five when Travon Walker got selected by the Jacksonville Jaguars.

However, the best part about last night’s first round was that it started and finished with a Dawg getting drafted — as God intended.

Georgia football won the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft, and here are some thoughts on it.

The year of the Dawg continues, and with two more nights to go, Georgia could make even more history.

After Walker went No.1, 12 picks later, Jordan Davis came off the board as the Philadelphia Eagles drafted him with the 13th overall pick. Quay Walker and Devonte Wyatt were the third and fourth Georgia players drafted as Green Bay used the 22nd and 28th picks to get them.

Finally, the Vikings helped Georgia make history by picking up Lewis Cine with the 32nd pick to close out the first round.

It’s rare to have five defenders in the first round, but when anyone reflects on what that 2021 Georgia football defense did, it doesn’t come as a surprise. In all honesty, it was shocking to see just five drafted, but Day 2 will likely be an even bigger night for the Dawgs.

While there are still six rounds to go in this 2022 NFL Draft, let’s discuss the first round and some of our thoughts.

Georgia football edge rusher Travon Walker sees very little love from NFL Draft

For the first NFL Draft in a while, no one knew what Jacksonville would do with their No.1 overall pick, but Georgia football edge rusher Travon Walker was a name that was one of the top considerations. While he did get selected as the No.1 overall pick, it was lackluster.

That point brings up our first thought — Travon Walker got short-sided and overlooked.

Sure he chose to stay home and didn’t go to Las Vegas to participate in the NFL Draft festivities, but that doesn’t mean the Draft couldn’t have a correspondent there to get an interview with the No.1 overall pick.

They had a camera set up to show them celebrating, but why would no one have cameras, microphones, and the other things just in case he did get selected?

Did these NFL Draft experts honestly believe Walker wasn’t going No.1 overall, so they didn’t even worry about it?

Between the NFL Network and ESPN, no one thought about giving him that moment? Sure it was great seeing him in shock and celebrating with his family, but the world deserved to hear him reflect on this historic moment.

At least his teammates got to show him some love that he didn’t get from the networks.

I feel like in previous drafts, they talk to the No.1 overall pick and get their thoughts and feelings about what it means to them to be the No.1 overall pick — not with Walker, though.

Instead, the Atlanta television stations went and got interviews by the end of the first round, so there were some, but it was distasteful for the major networks to overlook him.

ESPN can make interviews happen at recruiting signing days, but neither ESPN nor the NFL Network could make it happen for the Draft — disappointing.

The NFL Network crew seemed almost disappointed that Aiden Hutchinson didn’t go No.1 overall. They bragged about him, showing off his best tape. They even gave him an interview on stage to get his thoughts about going second in this draft.

However, the most disappointing part wasn’t that Walker didn’t get praised right away, but that he got in a car wreck a few weeks back when he hit parked cars and how there were no citations.

That coverage was immediately after they showed Walker’s reaction to the news — talk about head-scratcher and confusion.

Why is that the first thing out of their mouths?. That negativity didn’t happen with Hutchinson, but it sure did with Walker.

He made Georgia football history by becoming the first defensive lineman drafted as the No.1 overall pick. Walker was the fifth Georgia player to go at that spot, but nope, let’s talk about a car wreck.

They did discuss his strengths some, but they also harped a lot on what he needed to do to improve.

Walker deserved better than that, but he went No.1 overall and made a lot of money — so he is the winner at the end of it all. Still, the NFL Draft should have done a better job and made it a point to get an interview during the live coverage of the Draft.

Georgia football crowned Kings of Round 1 after making history

Let’s dive into the records Georgia football broke in round one of the 2022 NFL Draft and how they solidified the development happening in Athens.

As we mentioned in our introduction, five Georgia players got selected during the first round, and that broke the school record for most taken.

In 2018, the Dawgs set their record at three when Roquan Smith went to the Bears, and the Patriots picked up both Isaiah Wynn and Sony Michel.

This record was one that most expected the Dawgs to beat or tie, but breaking it by two picks is enormous. Then to have all five picks be defensive players is even more impressive because it broke an NFL Draft record.

Plus, seeing the fifth Dawg selected as the No.1 overall pick to tie USC, Oklahoma and Notre Dame is unique because it puts Georgia up there with these historic programs. It’s hard to get a first-round draft pick alone, but having five No.1 overall picks is insane.

Georgia’s last one came in 2009 when Matthew Stafford went to Detroit. However, he was the first defensive lineman selected as the other four were offensive players. Walker was the highest defensive lineman picked out of Georgia since Jonathan Allen in 2003 went 6th overall.

Alabama doesn’t even have that many No.1 overall picks as the Tide has just one — Harry Gilmer in the 1948 NFL Draft.

What Georgia did on Thursday night opened the eyes of many recruits and showed a lot of defensive players that Athens is where you go to make the NFL. Why wouldn’t they want to play for the Dawgs if things like five guys taken in round one and the No.1 overall pick were all Georgia players?

Plus, head coach Kirby Smart got his first No.1 overall pick before Nick Saban did — don’t tell their fans, though, they won’t make it.

Smart is transforming Georgia into a powerhouse program, and for those who think this is a one-time deal — don’t hold your breath because the Dawgs aren’t going anywhere.

Georgia football LB Nakobe Dean got robbed, but will use it as motivation

No, Georgia football linebacker Nakobe Dean didn’t physically get robbed, but he did get left out of the first round when he was the best player at his position.

Experts speculate that because he didn’t test well at Georgia’s Pro Day or work out at the NFL Combine due to an injury, it would hurt Dean where he would get drafted. Well, it did — that and him being too short for the NFL.

Sometimes production at things like the NFL Combine can lift players to even better picks than originally graded — Travon Walker, Devonte Wyatt. Other times, it can damage a player, and unfortunately, it did for Dean. However, his film speaks for itself, but evidently, it wasn’t enough to select him in round one.

New England should have taken him with their first-round draft pick instead of an offensive lineman out of UT Chattanooga. Instead of drafting Utah linebacker Devin Lloyd, the Jaguars should have brought him on with Travon Walker.

Dean is a better linebacker than Lloyd, and we’ve already discussed that in former articles, but still no love for the 2021 Butkus winner.

His instincts are top-tier, and Dean is one of the most intelligent football players in that draft, if not the most intelligent. He is an engineering student with a high GPA, and he can channel that to the football field, where Dean was the field general for the Dawgs’ star-studded defense.

However, none of that was enough for these NFL teams. Dean will likely be one of the first picks off the board in round two of the 2022 NFL Draft, but he shouldn’t be available. Instead of being upset about dropping out of the first round, he was beyond happy for Jordan Davis when he got selected. I bet anything he sent Devonte Wyatt, Quay Walker, and Lewis Cine congrats texts because that is the kind of player he is.

Dean won’t let this slip-up affect him or his future NFL career. Instead, he will use it as motivation and make every team who overlooked him regret their decision.

Georgia football has 10 players on the board, and tonight’s second and third rounds could produce another big night for the Dawgs.