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NFL Draft Analyst Mel Kiper Jr. Predicts Two Georgia Bulldogs To Atlanta Falcons

April 11, 2023
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ATHENS - Could Kirby Smart and the Georgia Bulldogs produce two future Atlanta Falcons later this month in the 2023 NFL Draft?

ESPN Draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. thinks so. The long-time NFL Draft analyst came out with his latest NFL mock draft on ESPN, and he believes plenty of Bulldogs will hear their name called on the first night of the draft.

The first Bulldog Kiper has coming off the board is superstar defensive lineman Jalen Carter, being selected No. 5 overall by the Seattle Seahawks, who are looking to upgrade their defensive line in the Draft. Kiper reported that Carter met with the Seahawks on Tuesday, and many in the NFL world believe that if Carter is sitting there at No. 5, that he’ll be a Seahawk. 

Carter has +600 odds to be the first defensive player taken in the draft according to FanDuel.

 

The second Bulldog off the board according to Kiper is superstar EDGE defender, Nolan Smith, who is predicted to go No. 8 overall to the home-state Atlanta Falcons. The Dirty Birds are desperate for impactful pass-rushers, and that’s exactly what Smith brings to the table. Smith made 114 total tackles in his Bulldog career to go along with 21 TFLs and 11.5 career sacks. Smith tore up the NFL Combine this year, running an eye-opening 4.39 in the 40-yard dash with a 41.5-inch vertical jump at 6-foot-2 238-pounds. He’s flying up draft boars, and Kiper thinks he’ll stay in the peach-state later this month.



 

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After Nolan Smith comes left tackle Broderick Jones, who Kiper believes will come off the board at No. 13 for the New York Jets. Another two-time national champion, Jones is a former 5-star prospect who absolutely lived up to the hype during his career at Georgia. A lean, athletic left tackle at 6-foot-5 310-pounds who can play in space, Jones has a very promising future at the next level and is one of the top offensive line prospects in the entire draft. He’s also the third and final Bulldog selected in the 1st-round pick according to Kiper.

 

Towards the top of the second round, Kiper has tight end Darnell Washington going to the New Orleans Saints at pick No. 40. The big, physical tight end has an excellent three-year career at Georgia, and like Smith, showed out at the combine, showing off his tremendous size, strength and ball skills to NFL scouts in Indianapolis. A dynamic offensive weapon at 6-foot-7 270-pounds, the former 5-star prospect out of Las Vegas caught 45 passes in his Bulldog career for 774 yards and three touchdowns. 

 

Finally, Kiper has Bulldog legend Kelee Ringo drafted at No. 44 to the Atlanta Falcons. The big, speedy defensive back at 6-foot-2 210-pounds has easy 2nd-round talent and measurables, but slips down to Atlanta mid-way through the 2nd round. Another former 5-star prospect from Georgia’s phenomenal 2020 class, Ringo was a multi-year starter and two-time national champion during his career in Athens. He made 76 total tackles, four INTs, and 19 pass-breakups during his three-year career, including a championship-sealing pick-six against Alabama to secure Georgia’s 2021 national championship.



 

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