Kirby Smart and Georgia's Recent NFL Draft Success by the Numbers
Another NFL draft in the books and it was another memorable year for head coach Kirby Smart and the Georgia football program. The Bulldogs had a total of 10 players drafted, three players taken in the first round, and set a new NFL draft record for most players drafted in the span of two years with 25 of them. Georgia has been on an absolute tear when it comes to the NFL draft over the past few years and to show just how successful they have been, let's take a look at what the numbers say.
In Smart's first seven years as head coach, he has had a total of 55 players taken in the NFL draft. In Nick Saban's first seven years at Alabama, he had 36 players drafted, Dabo Swinney had 33 players selected in his first seven years at Clemson, and Lincoln Riley has had 36 players drafted in the last six years at both Oklahoma and USC. On top of that, it took Saban nine years to reach the 50 and Swinney ten years. Smart and his staff have been developing players at an insanely high rate.
In the last six years, Georgia has produced 15 first-round draft picks, including a number one overall pick in 2021. The Bulldogs' 15 first-round picks are more than the total number of draft picks that any of Tennessee, USC, Texas, Ole Miss, or FSU have produced over the last four years.
The Georgia Bulldogs celebrated back-to-back national championships in Athens, Ga., on Saturday, Jan. 14, 2023. (Photo by Tony Walsh)
Georgia even hit some milestones of their own during the 2023 NFL draft. Stetson Bennett became the first Georgia quarterback to be drafted before the fifth round since Matthew Stafford was taken first overall in 2009. Darnell Washington became the first Georgia tight end to be taken within the first three sounds since Leonard Pope in 2006. Broderick Jones also became the fourth Georgia offensive lineman to be taken in the first round and tenth overall since 2017. For context, Georgia had ten offensive linemen taken in the draft from 2003-2016.
As stated before Georgia has produced a total of 15 first-round picks over the last six years. From 2002-2015, the Bulldogs had 12 players taken in the first round of the draft. It seems like Smart and his program continue to rewrite the history books every single year, and with how well they have been doing on the recruiting trail as of late, this train is showing no signs of stopping anytime soon.
Other Georgia News:
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- Amarius Mims' "Time Has Come", Talks Through Growth at UGA
- How Georgia Could Make SEC History During the 2023 Season
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