No program has produced more NFL draft picks over the past three cycles than the Georgia football program. And the Bulldogs are likely to add to that haul once again in the 2024 NFL Draft cycle.
Ahead of the college football season, many NFL draft experts have begun doing prep work for the upcoming season. ESPN’s Jordan Reid is among them, as he identified which schools are likely to produce the most eligble draft picks for the upcoming cycle.
Per Reid, Georgia is expected to have 11 draft picks in this upcoming cycle. While tight end Brock Bowers is the most proven option, there’s a good chance the Bulldogs see some of his fellow 2021 signees pop during this upcoming season.
One, in particular, is offensive lineman Amarius Mims.
“I expect Mims to rise quickly,” Reid wrote. “He has tremendous lower-body movement that enables him to gain depth on his pass sets to stay in front of pass-rushers. He is an explosive run-blocker, too, and can generate movement on double-teams and climb to the second level with ease. After earning his first two career starts in the College Football Playoff, he joins an exciting offensive tackle class.”
Defensively, Javon Bullard, Jamon Dumas-Johnson and Smael Mondon are all players capable of rising during the upcoming season. Mondon is currently dealing with a foot injury that has limited him in fall camp, but he led the team in tackles a season ago.
Dumas-Johnson and cornerback Kamari Lassiter meanwhile have emerged as key leaders for the program, in addition to being excellent players in their own right.
“Those guys are our juice guys who get us going on the defensive side of the ball,” linebacker Jalon Walker said. “They keep us going. The game is about energy, and they bring it - all day, every day.”
While most of those juniors know it is a money year for them, they also understand the task that lies ahead of them. To varying degrees, they’ve all helped Georgia win the last two national championships.
In 2023, they’ll be the driving factors behind another championship push. The Bulldogs are aiming to win a third-consecutive national championship, an unprecedented feat in modern college football.
“We are worried about UT Martin or the first game,” wide receiver Marcus Rosemy-Jacksaint said. “We’re worried about the next game. We’re worried about the next day. We’re not worried about a three-peat. That’s not what we’re focused on. We just worry about winning today and attacking the day today. I know everybody wants to talk about the three-peat, but that’s not what we focus on. We just focus on ourselves and getting better.”
Georgia had 10 players drafted in the 2023 NFL Draft, with Jalen Carter, Broderick Jones and Nolan Smith all going in the first round. Reid highlighted Michigan, Ohio State and Alabama as other programs that could produce double-digit draft picks.
The Bulldogs will get their first chance at showing scouts what they can do on Sept. 2, when they host UT-Martin. Georgia’s first game against a Power 5 program comes on Sept. 16, when the Bulldogs host the Gamecocks.