The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
14 players from Dawgs’ title team invited to NFL combine
Fourteen Bulldogs will return to Indianapolis, where the team won its national title Jan. 10, for the NFL scouting combine.
Georgia will be the most-represented university at the combine, scheduled for March 1-7. Its 14 participants are three more than second-place Alabama and Oklahoma.
The Bulldogs’ acclaimed defense will be well represented with eight prospects. Fan favorite Jordan Davis is a massive run stuffer who helped set the tone up front. He’ll try to show NFL teams he can play a similar role in the pros, along with perhaps making more of an impact as a pass rusher.
Defensive linemen Devonte Wyatt and Travon Walker join Davis in Indianapolis. Wyatt was an energizer on the Georgia defense, and his outgoing personality should shine in team interviews. Walker is considered by some to be Georgia’s best prospect as an athletic, versatile pass rusher.
Linebackers Nakobe Dean, Channing Tindall and Quay Walker also will represent the Bulldogs. Dean, the defense’s leader, is a projected first-round pick. Tindall and Walker didn’t get as much attention, but both could be Day 2 selections. They were Georgia’s third and fourth leading tacklers, respectively. All three players are lauded for their speed.
Defensive backs Lewis Cine and Derion Kendrick will try to improve their stock. The hard-hitting Cine was Georgia’s defensive MVP in the national championship victory over Alabama. Kendrick,
who arrived from Clemson before the season, became a key part of the secondary. He had two interceptions in the Orange Bowl against Michigan.
From the Georgia offense, running backs Zamir White and James Cook, receiver George Pickens and offensive linemen Justin Shaffer and Jamaree Salyer were invited. White, a bruising power back, was Georgia’s leading rusher a year ago. Cook will appeal to teams as a modern pass-catching back.
Pickens missed almost the entire season with a torn ACL. He played in the final four games, recording five catches for 107 yards and a touchdown. His only catch in the championship game was a 52-yarder. Pickens projects as a second rounder, though a productive combine could put him back in the first-round conversation.
Shaffer and Salyer are versatile offensive linemen who helped pave the path for Georgia’s rushing attack. While Shaffer is a guard, Salyer’s position will be debated. He played tackle and guard in college, including left tackle during Georgia’s title run, but physically he projects better as a guard (6 feet 2, 320 pounds by Senior Bowl measurements). Either way, he’s a hot commodity for his play and mean streak.
Punter Jake Camarda is the final Bulldog in Indianapolis. He averaged 45.8 yards on 187 punts across his college career, including a 46.7 average last season.
Only one invitee from a Georgia college wasn’t a Bulldog. Georgia Tech safety Juanyeh Thomas will represent the Yellow Jackets.
The NFL draft begins April 28.