The NFL Draft will be here before you know it. With last year's college football season firmly in the rearview mirror, all eyes turn to the upcoming NFL Combine, all of the pro days, and the marquee event of the offseason itself. Yes, diehard college football fans will be tuned into spring practice and what becomes of that. Truth be told, they will have some interest in seeing where former stars will go.
When it comes to the Georgia Bulldogs, this does not project to be one of the deepest draft classes in recent memory. Even in a down year for the program, relatively speaking in that department, Georgia will still get at least one of its players drafted in the first round. One could argue that could be as many as four if every Dawg has his day on Thursday, April 23. Many others will get drafted as well.
So what we are going to do today is take a look at the presumptive four best NFL Draft prospects the Georgia Bulldogs have to offer in this year's draft and see what label seems to fit each the most. Whether he is a rapid riser, a fading faller, a sneaky sleeper, or a dangerous dark horse, each UGA player of note has a role to play. It will be up to him to capitalize on where he will go in a few months.
Let's get started with this biggest riser out of Georgia up most prognosticators' NFL Draft boards.
Monroe Freeling is a rapid riser up many talent evaluators' draft boards
As time has gone on, it appears that former Georgia offensive tackle Monroe Freeling made an incredibly smart decision to turn pro as soon as he could. This may be somewhat of a weak offensive tackle draft, but it does seem to be a position of need for teams with first-round picks. At this time, Freeling ranks as Jordan Reid's top-rated Georgia NFL Draft prospect over on ESPN at No. 24 overall.
When looking at where he lands on NFL Mock Draft Database's big board for 2026, Freeling is on the verge of being a first-round pick at No. 33 overall. This recent climb by Freeling could have him coming off the board as soon as the Detroit Lions picking at No. 17. The growing consensus is that he will be the No. 28 overall pick by the Houston Texans. Freeling is approaching first-round lock territory.
For as great as it is to see Freeling getting boosted because of his upside, another UGA star is falling.
CJ Allen appears to be falling, possibly out of the first round entirely
Up until recently, former Georgia linebacker CJ Allen had been the surest thing to a first-round lock in the 2026 NFL Draft the Bulldogs could ever hope to put forth. While the chances of him going in the first round are still quite high, he could conceivably get pushed down the board for any number of reasons. It may have more to do with team fit and the position that he plays than really anything else.
While NFL Mock Draft Database has him as Georgia's best draft prospect at No. 29 overall, Reid only has him listed at the 35th best prospect on his big board. The consensus is that Allen will go two picks after Freeling as the No. 30 overall selection by the Denver Broncos. That would be a marvelous fit for him. So would the New England Patriots who will be on the clock either a pick or two after them.
If Georgia has two first-round picks this year, Allen will surely be one of them, but what about a third?
Christen Miller is a late first-round sleeper you need to keep your eyes on
While CJ Allen and Monroe Freeling have been tabbed as more likely than not first-round NFL Draft picks, defensive tackle Christen Miller has a halfway decent shot to crash this party reserved for 32. Miller was only listed a few players off Allen's trail as Reid's No. 38 overall prospect. NFL Mock Draft Database has him as the No. 39 overall prospect in this year's draft. Could he crack the top 32 here?
Although Miller has not crossed the top-32 threshold in most estimations, the two of the teams who are in on him also happen to have some ties to Allen and Freeling. Not only could the Texans and the Broncos be fits for Miller out of the AFC, but there is a chance he could be coming off the board even earlier to an NFC squad. The earliest team that makes sense for him is the Chicago Bears at No. 25.
If Miller does go in the second round, he seems to be destined to be coming off the board before 40.
Zachariah Branch could be the ultimate first-round dark horse out of UGA
And finally, we have arrived as easily the most fun player to get drafted out of Georgia this spring in wide receiver extraordinaire Zachariah Branch. Although he was not listed among the top 50 NFL Draft prospects on Reid's updated big board, NFL Mock Draft Database still has him as its No. 40 overall player. While Branch's draft stock continues to climb, he will need some help to go round one.
It would require a run on wide receivers to happen in the middle part of the first round. That would move Branch up by necessity, or even out of panic... Either way, the earliest he could conceivably be coming off the board right now would be the San Francisco 49ers picking at No. 27. He would get to be teammates with a former UGA star he never played with in edge rusher Mykel Williams in that case.
The best way for Branch to move higher up these draft boards is to crush it during the draft process.