How many Georgia players could go in the first round of the NFL Draft?

Derion Kendrick – Cornerback

Expectations are that it will be a top-heavy cornerback class with Derek Stingley Jr., Andrew Booth Jr., Kaiir Elam, and Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner all looking like potential top-20 picks. Every year teams are desperate for cornerback help, though, and Kendrick ticks a lot of boxes. He has the size, athleticism, and ball skills that translate to the NFL.

There were question marks over Kendrick’s departure from Clemson but head coach Dabo Swinney has come out in support of him and he’s been a key part of the best defense in the country. There’s a lot to like.

George Pickens – Wide Receiver

Pickens will be a Rorschach Test on how the NFL views injuries. When healthy he’s the prototypical wide receiver, capable of running past cornerbacks and jumping over them. The issue is that we haven’t seen Pickens for a while thanks to a torn ACL. He’s reportedly practicing again but there’s no guarantee that he returns and, if he does, whether he’ll be at 100%.

Following the season he’ll then have to decide whether he believes his draft stock is strong enough to enter the league or whether he wants to show scouts another season of play. If everything goes to plan then don’t bet against a team taking a shot on him on day one.

It seems unlikely that Georgia will be able to match the six first-rounders that Alabama and Miami have sent to the NFL previously. It would be a surprise if Davis and Dean weren’t selected on day one. Beyond that, there are a number of players on the borderline.

Outside of Anderson, whose legal issues could see him fall out of the draft altogether, all players on the list should be taken in the first three rounds. As is always the case, it only takes one team to fall in love to make a player a first-round pick, though.