NFL Free Agency Impacts Georgia Players in NFL Draft

The NFL free agency market has players all over the league on the move and it has also had an impact on some Georgia football players for the NFL draft.

The NFL free agency market has players all over the league on the move and it has also had an impact on some Georgia football players for the NFL draft. 

NFL free agency opened up this past week and it has players all over the league on the move. Even some former Georgia Bulldogs have found a new home over the last few days. Not only is the free agency market impacting football teams for next season, but it is also impacting players who are set to enter the league via this year's NFL draft.

Both the free agency window and the NFL draft are utilized by teams to fill positions of need or to just simply add better players to the roster. The free agency window comes first, which means organizations have the opportunity to see what they can make shake there first before making their draft selections. Based on some of the pre-draft discussions that have been going on, a couple of free-agency moves might have impacted some former Georgia players' draft stock.

One of the more recent moves that was made was the Kansas City Chiefs electing to sign veteran wide receiver Hollywood Brown. There was some belief that the reigning Super Bowl champs might take a shot on drafting a wide receiver in the first round with the last pick of day one, but now that they have signed Brown, that may not be the direction they choose to go in anymore. 

Georgia wide receiver Ladd McConkey (84) runs a drill during Georgia football's Pro Day in Athens, Ga., on Wednesday, March 13, 2024

Ladd McConkey was one of the wide receivers that some believed would be a good fit in Kansas City. Picturing the damage that McConkey and Patrick Mahomes could do in the league is a bit terrifying to imagine, but the Chiefs were also viewed as McConkey's only first-round landing spot potentially. That isn't to say that the former Bulldogs' first-round chances went down to zero, but the signing of Brown may mean that there is one less team looking for him when day one rolls around. 

On a more positive note, another NFL organization made some moves recently that could point to them taking a former Bulldog earlier in the draft than some may have anticipated. 

The Los Angeles Chargers are in the midst of a difficult process. They have a verified quarterback in the form of Justin Herbert but they are working in new head coach Jim Harbaugh while also clearing up cap space. Two notable names that are no longer with the Chargers because of this are wide receiver Keenan Allen and wide receiver Mike Williams. 

Williams and Allen have been the top two wide receivers for the Chargers for the past couple of seasons, and now with both of them gone, the Chargers could be searching for an offensive weapon with their fifth overall pick. 

Georgia tight end Brock Bowers has been linked to the Chargers in some mock drafts this offseason but others have them potentially going in a different direction. However, it is glaringly obvious that Harbaugh and his team need a weapon for Herbet to throw to, Bowers and the Chargers might be the perfect match for one another. 

Other Georgia News:

• Will Georgia Have a 1,000-yard Rusher in 2024?
• Georgia Football Practice Notes From Day 2 of Spring Ball
• Has Wide Receiver Ladd McConkey Done Enough to Become a First-Round Selection in the 2024 NFL Draft?

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