2019 UGA Football: Cade Mays is the Most Important Player on Offense

The UGA offense is filled with talented players across the board, but Cade Mays's ability to play five positions at an elite level makes him the most important player.

Georgia's offense has arguably three guys that could hear their names called in the first couple of rounds in next year's NFL Draft. Junior QB Jake Fromm, assuming he declares, has been rumored to a top ten pick. Andrew Thomas is expected to battle to be the first tackle off the board, and D'Andre Swift is certainly a modern-day NFL offensive coordinator's dream. 

So, saying Cade Mays is the most important player on this Georgia offense could be a bit of a reach. But hear me out. Cade has played 4 of the 5 positions across the offensive line already this season, and he's done so at an elite level.

There are two primary position groups in football that traditionally don't leave the game barring injury, the Quarterback & offensive linemen. But coach Sam Pittman bucks this trend for good reasoning at Georgia. 

Even prior to Isaiah Wilson's injury, Mays was inserted across the offensive line during the season opener against Vanderbilt. That kind of foresight is what makes Pittman next level. 

Cade Mays and Isaiah Wilson

Traditionally in college football, losing a starter the caliber of Isaiah Wilson would certainly hamper an offensive unit, even at a program the likes of Georgia or Alabama. 

Cade's ability to play multiple positions across the offensive line is something he's worked on dating back to his high school days in Knoxville, Tennessee: 

"It's really just second nature, I do it in practice. I'll go over here, do my assignment then go over there and do that assignment. Really all the guys along the offensive line know what everyone else is doing, so it's really not that big of a deal."

Just a sophomore, Mays has plenty of time to elevate his draft stock even more, but the former 5-star recognizes the value of being able to play all five spots at the next level as well: 

"NFL Teams only travel six or seven offensive linemen on gamedays. So being able to play every single one of those positions, if someone goes down I can jump in and play." 

Obviously I'm not here to say that Cade is Georgia's best player or even most talented for that matter, but he's certainly Georgia's most important.