It’s a fun time to be a football fan in Athens. The Georgia Bulldogs are the No. 1 team in the nation for the first time since 2008. They are dominating games behind the best defense in college football. But, how good is this Georgia defense, and how many prospects could the Bulldogs have selected in the 2022 NFL Draft?
The Georgia Bulldogs have built one of the best defenses in recent memory
Through the spring, question marks and concerns were being raised about the Georgia defense. The unit had lost a significant amount of talent to the 2021 NFL Draft. Their secondary had been decimated by the loss of Eric Stokes and Tyson Campbell, not to mention other playmakers like Richard LeCounte III.
Meanwhile, the Bulldogs’ premier pass rusher — Azeez Ojulari — also headed to the NFL, becoming a second-round pick of the New York Giants. Furthermore, defensive backs coach Charlton Warren left Athens to become the defensive coordinator at Indiana. Possibly inadvertently, maybe by design, that departure triggered a sequence of events that helped bolster the back end of the Bulldogs’ defense.
West Virginia DB coach Jahmile Addae was hired to fill the void left by Warren. Under Addae, the Mountaineers had the best passing defense in the nation in 2020. One of the key components of that unit was versatile defensive back Tykee Smith. When the WVU playmaker entered the transfer portal, the Bulldogs became the natural destination. In addition to Smith, Derion Kendrick made his way to Athens via the portal.
Head coach Kirby Smart has always said that the transfer portal was to be used on a “need” basis. There was no mistaking the need in the secondary, and Georgia filled it in elite style.
From question marks to leaving their mark on college football
What the Georgia defense has developed into since those early spring concerns has to be seen to be believed. While everyone expected a competitive game with Clemson in the season opener, no one expected Georgia’s defense to be so dominant.
They constantly terrorized and overwhelmed the Clemson offensive line. DJ Uiagalelei, the heir apparent to Trevor Lawrence, was reduced to a rabbit in the headlights as Georgia players enveloped him behind the line of scrimmage and appeared as if out of nowhere in his passing lanes.
Although that Clemson offense has actually been a poor yard marker for measuring the Georgia defense, every single week that has followed has been in a similar vein. We’ve had nine weeks of college football action, and the Bulldogs have given up no more than 13 points in a game. They currently rank in the top three of every major defensive metric imaginable.
As is the nature of the sport, their success has led to comparisons to other dominating defenses.
How does the 2021 Georgia defense compare to other dominant units?
A recent social media post compared the 2021 Georgia defense to two other defenses that have been dominant since the turn of the century. The Miami Hurricanes team of 2001 is widely regarded as having an elite defense. Meanwhile, the Alabama Crimson Tide defense was utterly dominant in 2011. As someone who started covering college football in the 2018 season, I wanted to include the title-winning Clemson Tigers unit in this comparison.
While football has changed in the 20 years that span these four teams, the statistics that determine defensive dominance have not. It’s easy to compare things like total defense, scoring defense, and touchdowns allowed. Furthermore, comparing how each team ranks against the competition of their day allows us to see how dominant they really were.
I mentioned earlier that these 2021 Bulldogs rank in the top three in nearly every metric. That gives them an advantage over the 2001 Hurricanes and the 2018 Tigers.
Although Miami was extremely imposing in several factors, they ranked just 40th in rushing defense. While Clemson was a top-five unit in most metrics, their pass defense ranked 24th in the nation in 2018.
The battle of elite defenses between Alabama 2011 vs. Georgia 2021
The 2011 Alabama unit was a completely different beast. The Crimson Tide had the No. 1 team in the nation for everything — total defense, touchdowns allowed, rushing defense, passing defense, scoring defense — you name it, they were the best at it.
They allowed just 183.6 yards per game. Remarkably, they allowed just 9 touchdowns throughout the entire 2011 season. Furthermore, the Crimson Tide gave up just 3.3 yards per play and allowed just 8.2 points per game. It seems inconceivable that a defense could have a better performance — especially with the game being so offense-oriented in the modern day.
And yet, there are areas where this Georgia defense has the edge even on that Alabama unit.
Through Week 9 of the college football season, the Bulldogs have allowed just 6.6 points per game. While every other defense in this article has given up 20+ points at some point in their standout campaign, Georgia has yet to allow more than 13 points to anyone.
Additionally, Georgia’s 75.6 rushing yards per game is extremely competitive with Alabama’s 72.2 yards per game allowed on the ground. They’ve also allowed just 6 touchdowns so far.
It’s not unrealistic to think that, given their dominance, they could challenge Alabama’s 9 touchdowns allowed. Impressively, they’ve achieved this while having a more difficult strength of schedule than the Crimson Tide, as per Sports Reference.
Can the Georgia Bulldogs produce a high number of 2022 NFL Draft prospects?
Long story short — this Georgia defense is elite. However, statistical comparisons can ultimately be flawed. Thankfully, we have another way to measure the success of a program. If the ultimate goal of college football programs is to develop high school potential into NFL Draft prospects, then how many players they send to the professional ranks should be considered a measure of success.
Here, the 2001 Miami team is in a league of their own. The Hurricanes sent 11 to the league via the 2002 NFL Draft. They had a remarkable five first-round selections, with three coming on the defensive side of the ball. Phillip Buchanan, Mike Rumph, and Hall of Fame safety Ed Reed all heard their name called on Day 1.
Ten years later, the 2011 Alabama team also had three first-round defensive selections in the draft: Mark Barron, Dont’a Hightower, and Dre Kirkpatrick were part of an eight-man Crimson Tide class.
Remarkably, the 2018 Clemson defense also provided three first-round picks. Clelin Ferrell, Christian Wilkins, and Dexter Lawrence ensured that almost the entire defensive line was selected in Round 1.
Georgia has a legitimate chance of emulating all of these teams
With a little under six months to go until the 2022 NFL Draft, Georgia could establish themselves as the best defense of the 21st century. There is a legitimate chance that their defense has 11 players drafted to the NFL.
At the present time, all three of Pro Football Network’s NFL Draft analysts, myself included, have draftable grades on double-digit Georgia defensive prospects. Of those, four players have a first-round grade from at least one analyst.
Jordan Davis, DT
There hasn’t been a more consistently dominant defensive player in college football this season than Jordan Davis. The 6’6″, 340-pound behemoth has been so unbelievably good as the foundation for the Georgia defensive line that he is receiving genuine Heisman Trophy attention.
As you’d expect for a man of his size, Davis is an absolute space-eater in the trenches. He epitomizes the phrase “two on me, somebody’s free.” While he’s attracting double-teams, his teammates can pad their box scores. That said, Davis has put his otherworldly athleticism and strength to devastating use in the backfield, logging 3.5 tackles for loss and 2 sacks.
Nakobe Dean, LB
In a linebacker class that hasn’t been lacking a genuine No. 1 player, Nakobe Dean has elevated his stock dramatically through this dominant run by the Georgia defense. The Bulldogs’ linebacker possesses incredible athletic attributes and plays the game with impressive instincts.
While he had a reputation for being imposing against the run coming into the season, Dean has demonstrated improvements as a pass rusher and in coverage this year. As a result, he is potentially the most complete linebacker prospect in this 2022 NFL Draft class. Remarkably, he leads the Bulldogs in interceptions, showcasing the coverage ability that will be extremely valuable at the next level.
Lewis Cine, S
If you were to compile a checklist of the requirements for a modern-day NFL safety, Lewis Cine would tick almost every box. At 6’1″ and 200 pounds, he has the requisite size for the position. Importantly, he adds length to that frame to be a disruptive presence at the catch point in coverage. Furthermore, his athletic ability means he can click and close at will.
However, Cine does his best work coming downhill against the run. There are few players that lay the boom quite like the Georgia safety. Cine plays ferociously, but he also has impressive instincts to read the game at a high level. If he had a motto, it would be “diagnose and destroy” because that’s what he does play after play.
Adam Anderson, OLB
There are few more exciting prospects in the 2022 NFL Draft than outside linebacker Adam Anderson. While he may be considered undersized by some, there is nothing lightweight about Anderson’s ability to rush the passer and create nightmares for opposing offensive lines.
Anderson is fast, bendy, and deceptively strong. He possesses the lateral agility to effortlessly switch from attacking the outside track to pressuring from the interior of the defensive front. The Georgia outside linebacker also has several weapons in his pass-rush toolbox. He leads the Bulldogs with 5 sacks this season, while also tallying 5.5 tackles for loss. Anderson is on a collision course with the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft.
Other Georgia defensive prospects in the 2022 NFL Draft
Although the first edition of the Pro Football Network Big Board has four first-round prospects across the three NFL Draft analysts, cornerback Derion Kendrick could also hear his name called on Day 1 of the 2022 NFL Draft. A former wide receiver, Kendrick has the ball skills, speed, and route-recognition ability to play the game to a high standard at the NFL level. There are another six defensive prospects who should be selected in the 2022 NFL Draft.
- Tykee Smith, DB
- Devonte Wyatt, DT
- Nolan Smith, EDGE
- Travon Walker, DT
- Quay Walker, LB
- Channing Tindall, LB
Furthermore, there could be as many as 17 total Georgia players selected in the 2022 NFL Draft. The following offensive/special teams players feature in the top 300 of at least one of Pro Football Network’s draft analysts.
- Zamir White, RB
- James Cook, RB
- Jamaree Salyer, OT
- George Pickens, WR
- JT Daniels, QB
- Jake Camarda, P