Kirby Smart has Set the Standard as to what it means to play at UGA

The Georgia football program has just completed a historical weekend at the NFL draft and Kirby Smart has set a clear standard. If you play at Georgia, you make it to the NFL.

Head coach Kirby Smart has piled up a historical list of accomplishments during his past six years with the University of Georgia program, and this weekend was one of his biggest yet. 

If winning a National Championship wasn't a big enough accolade for Coach Smart, this weekend surely was the cherry on top after setting multiple NFL draft records, and showcasing why young high school prospects should want to play at the University of Georgia. 

One of the biggest questions surrounding Kirby Smart's head coaching career up until this point was whether or not he could develop his players into NFL-caliber prospects. Everyone already knew what he was capable of on the recruiting trail, it was just a matter of transforming those high school recruits into professionals. After this weekend, Kirby Smart more than answered that question. 

1. Walker $41.4m salary/$23.3m bonus
13. Davis $15.5m/$9.9m
22. Walker $13.8m/$7.2m
28. Wyatt $12.9m/$6.5m
32. Cine $11.5m/$5.5m

Keep the NIL discussions rolling.

Georgia and Kirby Smart will be talking about a record 149.5 MILLION dollars worth of first round contracts. pic.twitter.com/oWHx12PPZp

— Brooks Austin (@BrooksAustinBA) May 1, 2022

Things got kicked off on Thursday night during the first round of the NFL when the Bulldogs had five defensive players selected which was an NFL record for that many players from one team on the same side of the ball to go in the first round. One of those picks was Travon Walker who went first overall and was the program's first number one overall pick since Matthew Stafford in 2009. 

Things didn't stop there though. Over the next six rounds, ten more former Bulldogs were selected by NFL teams totaling up to 15 total picks, which set a new NFL draft record for the most players drafted from the same school in a single draft. Even former Georgia punter, Jake Carmada, was taken in the draft and in the fourth round nonetheless. 

Following the conclusion of this year's draft, Kirby Smart has now had 45 total players taken in the draft, ten of those players being selected in the first round, and now adding a number one overall pick to the list as well. That is an average of close to eight players taken in the draft every single year. That would be a school record for the majority of college football teams. 

Kirby Smart and his coaching staff at this point have made one thing very clear. If you play on Saturdays for the University of Georgia you can pretty much guarantee you'll be hearing your name called when the time comes to enter the NFL draft. 

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