ATHENS — The Senior Bowl motto takes effect this week in Mobile, where the NFL-based all-star game proclaims “The Draft Starts Here.”
RELATED: Georgia returning 2 D-tackles hope history can compete with title run
For the seven Georgia players who were invited it will be one final chance to wear the “G” on the side of their helmets as they compete with elite talent at Hancock-Whitney Stadium on the South Alabama campus.
• Center Sedrick Van Pran
• Long snapper William Mote
• Safety Javon Bullard
• Receiver Ladd McConkey
• Receiver Marcus Rosemy-Jacksaint
• Safety Tykee Smith
• Tailback Daijun Edwards
Jim Nagy, executive director of the Senior Bowl, said NFL head coaches, general managers, position coaches and scouts that will be on hand have an expectation for those Bulldogs’ players.
“They are so bought in, it’s so competitive,” Nagy told DawgNation. “The NFL knows what they are getting from those guys.”
The Senior Bowl practices and interviews leading up to the game on Saturday (TV: 2:30 p.m., NFL Network) areas valuable as the contest itself.
“The senior bowl is real football, the whole NFL community is down here, we credentialed close to 1,000 NFL people last year,” said Nagy, who spent 20 years as an NFL scout before becoming the executive director of the Senior Bowl.
Nagy explained why so many elite players like Heisman Trophy runner-up Michael Penix Jr. and finalist Bo Nix, take part in the annual showcase.
“There’s a difference between scouts being on board with you and going through the school and seeing your games, as opposed to the guys that are going to be making the picks in April,” Nagy said.
“When you get NFL GMs, head coaches, and position coaches and coordinators on board throughout the process, it’s huge, and this is the one time they get a chance to really be around these players in a relaxed setting.”
Nagy said the NFL combine has its value with players having medical evaluations along with the running, jumping and lifting testing, but it’s also “very corporate, and you don’t get very much time with the player at all.”
In Mobile, players will breakaway for interviews with head coaches and general managers when they aren’t being drilled by NFL coaches at practice Tuesday through Thursday and learning new concepts.
As much as the players’ performance matters, so does their ability to take NFL-style coaching and pick up schemes and concepts quickly.
Georgia’s players have typically been among the most prepared, as Kirby Smart runs several NFL concepts on offense and defense.
Nagy has had a front-row seat watching the Bulldogs become the most talent-rich program in the nation, producing 24 NFL draft picks in the previous two years, with another 10 or so expected to be selected this year.
“It’s been fun watching Kirby get it done,” Nagy said. “I knew him back at Alabama, so to see it take shape at Georgia, it didn’t happen overnight.
“I expect this will be a great week for them.”
