ATHENS — Georgia football coach Kirby Smart isn’t easy to please especially at the safety spot he once played while an All-SEC defensive back himself.

RELATED: ‘Heat-seeking missile’ Lewis Cine rising fast in NFL draft ratings

But Smart doesn’t hesitate to shower Minnesota first-round pick Lewis Cine with praise at each turn.

“When you design a safety, he’s got all the qualities,” Smart said. “He’s really been a student of the game.”

Cine will be studying up for the Vikings next season with hopes of making an immediate impact as a starter.

Cine is the fifth Georgia player selected in the first round, a new program record.

The Bulldogs’ other first-round picks where:

• Travon Walker (1), Jacksonville

• Jordan Davis (13), Philadelphia

• Quay Walker (22) Green Bay

• Devonte Wyatt (28) Green Bay

Lewis Cine delieverd a great NFL combine performance

Cine blew away NFL scouts and general managers at the combine, running faster and jumping higher and longer than many expected.

The 6-foot-2, 199-pound Cine ran a 4.37-second time in the 40-yard dash, recorded a 36.5 vertical jump and recorded an explosive 133-inch broad jump.

M-V-P, M-V-P

Cine was the Defensive MVP in Georgia’s 33-18 CFP Championship Game win over Alabama at Lucas Oil Stadium In Indianapolis.

Cine had seven tackles and a PBU in the win over the Crimson Tide, capping an All-SEC season that saw him earn semifinalist honors for the Jim Thorpe Award.

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Cine, who led the Bulldogs with 73 tackles last season, spent most of his school years in Boston and was the 2017 Massachusetts Player of the Year.

Cine played his senior year at Trinity Christian High School in Cedar Grove, Texas, where NFL and College Football Hall of Famer Deion Sanders, now the head coach at Jackson State, was on staff as an assistant.