Georgia football is off and running at the 2025 NFL Combine as four Bulldogs kicked things off for UGA on Thursday. All four Bulldogs performed very well, but linebacker Smael Mondon definitely stood out.
Mondon's best moment from the Combine on Thursday was the broad jump when he recorded the longest jump from any linebacker.
10 feet 10 inches on the broad jump for Mondon. Best result of the day for a LB pic.twitter.com/Cd58gVZiKc
— Graham Coffey (@GrahamCoffeyDC) February 28, 2025
This obviously will grab the attention from a lot of people, but it was something else that Mondon shared with reporters that Georgia fans are paying the most attention to.
Georgia had the second most players invited to the Combine this year with 14, but defensive back Dan Jackson was somehow not included on that invite list. Mondon clearly disagreed with that decision as he discussed with reporters at the Combine what they will be missing out on with Jackson not in attendance.
"Just the competitor he is, you know, because Dan came to Georgia, has a walk-on so for him to work and, like, turn into the player he is today," Mondon shared via atozsports.com. "He wasn't always the player he was today, but, he worked into that though. Some guys are just born with that talent, but Dan's a hard-working guy, and then I feel like work ethic is one of the things that keeps you in the league. So a guy that works as hard as Dan, I feel like that's what they're missing [out on]. And Dan, I feel like he's a culture builder because, like he pulls people around and he pulls guys up with him."
Mondon has Dan Jackson's back
Georgia fans are obviously biased when it comes to Jackson, but the facts show that he more than deserved an invite to the Combine. This past season, Jackson recorded a career best 64 tackles as well as two interceptions, three pass deflections and one forced fumble. Not only did he have these great stats, but Jackson showed that no one works harder than him and that he was one of the best leaders on Georgia's defense as well.
Jackson was a participant at the Senior Bowl earlier this offseason, and he was one of the players who stood out the most according to his peers. So that is another reason why the Combine made the wrong choice but not inviting him.
Jackson will get his chance to impress NFL organizations later this spring at Georgia's Pro Day on March 12. And if Georgia fans know anything about Jackson, he will most certainly use this disrespect to his advantage and prove everyone wrong at UGA's Pro Day.