There’s been a second Bulldog drafted in the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft, as offensive lineman Isaiah Wynn was taken with the No. 23 pick by the New England Patriots. He will join former teammate David Andrews.
Wynn joins Roquan Smith who was taken with the No. XXX pick by the XXXX. This is the first time since 2013 that two Georgia players have been taken in the first round, as Jarvis Jones and Alec Ogletree were taken with the No. 17 and No. 30 picks that year.
This is the first time a Georgia offensive lineman has been taken in the first round since George Foster was taken with the No. 20 pick in the 2003 NFL Draft.
Related: 5 things to know about Isaiah Wynn
Wynn figures to move from tackle to guard at the next level, but he played both in college. In his junior year he started at guard before bumping over to left tackle for his senior season.
The offensive line greatly improved in part to Wynn’s move to tackle, and as Georgia ended up winning the SEC and the Rose Bowl.
Wynn did play through a torn labrum during his senior season, but he had that fixed during the offseason. Georgia coach Kirby Smart ended up praising Wynn for his toughness and leadership he showed during the 2017 campaign.
“He’s got a great toughness,” Smart said of Wynn. “I don’t want to make a big deal about it for Isaiah — there’s a lot of guys on our team — Trent [Thompson] dealt with labrums. We’ve got a lot of guys with labrums. It’s an injury that’s very common in football. We see it more in high school where guys are coming in and having the surgery done before they even get here. I had it done.
“But it’s one of those things where Isaiah being an offensive lineman he’s constantly got his hands outside his framework when a guy gets away, and it makes you vulnerable to that injury. But it’s also something that sometimes you can’t make worse, you’ve just got to push through, and, boy, he’s a tough guy. Because I would see it come out, see it slip, and he would keep right on playing.”