Kirby Smart Demolishes Biggest Critique of Georgia Defensive NFL Prospects
A majority of Georgia's fifteen prospects for this year's NFL Draft will come from the defensive side of the ball. It is fitting after watching what the historical unit did throughout the 15-game season, thanks to the post-season run made by the Bulldogs.
Even after losing in unconvincing fashion to SEC foe Alabama 41-24 in the SEC Championship, the first and only loss of an otherwise perfect season, the defense captured the attention and made headlines.
Thanks to elite recruiting through the first six seasons of the Smart era, Georgia littered the field with some of the top players at each position in 2021. Players like DeVonte Wyatt, Jordan Davis, Nakobe Dean, Travon Walker, and Lewis Cine, to name a few, all stood out among a talented defensive unit.
After accomplishing their team goal of winning a championship, most of that defensive unit is just two weeks away from the NFL Draft. Many of those names will hear their names called on night one of the Draft, while others will have to wait a little longer.
A big critique for many of the top prospects from the Georgia defense is their "lack of stats," something that many look for if you are a projected first-round pick to justify your draft stock. It is a big part of the ongoing debate about who should go number one in this year's draft, Michigan's Aidan Hutchinson or Georgia's Travon Walker. The critics say that Walker's lack of sacks and tackles makes him undraftable at number one when compared to Hutchinson.
Kirby Smart spoke with NFL Live's Laura Rutledge on Thursday in response to the critics.
"None of these guys have gaudy stat numbers because they played together. Other guys out there are going to have more tackles than Nakobe Dean or more sacks than Travon Walker, more snaps played than Jordan Davis, and because they played with other great players, it was harder to accumulate them; it was a race to the ball."
- Kirby Smart
Smart would go on to add:
"All you have to do is watch the tape to see the caliber of player they are, watch the unselfishness they had to rotate in and out, and by how they played the game, they didn't just run up and try to make plays for themselves, that's how you see what type of teammate you are getting, what type of guy you are getting for the organization that drafts them."
- Kirby Smart
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