On night-one of the 2022 NFL draft, the Georgia Bulldogs became the first school in history to have five defensive players selected in the first round of the draft.
But the Bulldogs were not done there. Georgia would go on to have ten more players selected throughout the remaining rounds to have 15 players taken in total, setting a modern-era record for most draft picks.
Looking ahead to the upcoming 2022 NFL season, three Georgia Bulldogs are projected to make the NFL All-Rookie team, per NFL.com.
Those three Dawgs are running back James Cook (Buffalo Bills), wide receiver George Pickens (Pittsburgh Steelers) and linebacker Quay Walker (Green Bay Packers).
On Cook, NFL.com wrote:
Buffalo selected a running back in the third round of the draft in 2019 and 2020 (Devin Singletary, ‘19; Zack Moss, ‘20), but I thought they would have interest in Cook late in the second round this year because of his all-purpose value. Expect Cook to approach 1,500 total yards from scrimmage in 2022, taking handoffs when he isn’t catching the ball out of the backfield or from the slot.
Cook was a second round pick after finishing his UGA career with 230 carries for 1,503 yards and 14 touchdowns.
NFL.com on Pickens:
In his final draft before retiring as the Steelers’ general manager, Kevin Colbert once again landed a bargain receiver in the second round. Pickens is already impressing, showing off his skills during OTAs. Expect whoever lines up at quarterback for Pittsburgh to regularly lean on his speed and strong hands to make big plays downfield.
A second round pick, Pickens had 90 receptions for 1,347 yards and 14 touchdowns during his collegiate career. He missed a majority of last season recovering from an ACL injury.
Despite having five first rounders on defense, only Walker is projected to make the first team.
On Walker, NFL.com said:
The Packers needed a strong inside presence next to All-Pro De’Vondre Campbell. Walker’s ability to stand up to blockers in the run game as well as sprint to the sideline to cover running backs and tight ends, limiting big plays, will solidify the team’s second-level defense. Don’t be surprised if he works in tandem with Rashan Gary and Preston Smith to secure a handful of sacks, too.
At Georgia, Walker was a tackling machine, finishing fourth on the team with 63 total tackles.
