Georgia football captain Lamont Gaillard becoming center of attention

INDIANAPOLIS — Georgia center Lamont Gaillard didn’t have to do much to call attention to himself at the NFL combine last weekend.

It’s hard to miss the 6-foot-3, 305-pounder when watching film of the Bulldogs the past few seasons.

Or, as it turns out, when watching him matched up with projected first-round NFL pick Quinnen Williams of Alabama.

Williams praised Gaillard and the Georgia offensive line at the combine when asked about the toughest offensive line he faced in 2018.

“Probably the Georgia offensive line,” Williams said. “But I faced a lot of good O-lines, like Clemson and Oklahoma.”

And, Williams told ESPN.com, Gaillard was the toughest offensive lineman he faced in his career.

“He gave no tendencies.”

Cole Cubelic, a former Auburn center and current SEC Network analyst, has had plenty to say about Gaillard throughout the past season.

“Lamont gets guys blocked and has a great feel for how to work with guys next to him,” Cubelic told AJC-DawgNation. “He plays with good leverage and is very quick laterally. He doesn’t have great power, but he understands how to get into position quickly.

“I think he’s a good prospect that will get drafted and make a team.”

Gaillard started the final 42 games of his career on the offensive line after converting from the defensive line, earning the trust and respect of his teammates.

“Lamont, he always had juice, on the sidelines and in the games,” Junior Riley Ridley said at the NFL combine when asked to identify Georgia’s team leader. “Regularly, he keeps guys alive with it.”

That’s probably why Gaillard was named one of four permanent captains in 2018, along with QB Jake Fromm, RB Elijah Holyfield and DL Jonathan Ledbetter.

Gaillard’s skills were recognized on the “49ers WebZone” site as well, as he was described as “A (Bill) Belichick, brains over brawn, type of player.”

The good news for whichever team drafts Gaillard, he’ll only get bigger and better.

“The SEC gets you prepared,” Gaillard said. “They put you in a style that you would run in the league.”

Gaillard declined to do any testing at the NFL combine, instead choosing to continue training and perform at UGA Pro Day on March 20 in Athens.