INDIANAPOLIS, Ind.—According to former Georgia tight end Isaac Nauta, the reason he decided to forego his senior season and enter this year’s NFL Draft is relatively easy to explain. Simply, he was “ready” to play at the next level—and has been for some time.

“It’s something I‘ve been training for my whole life,” Nauta said during Friday’s interview session at the NFL Combine. “Since the age of four, playing tackle football, it’s been a dream of mine [to play in the NFL]. All that preparation, all that work, and all of those memories have led up to this point—and I’m ready for the next challenge.”

Nauta, who was informed by the NFL advisory committee to stay in school, has especially been working on his speed and explosiveness since the end of the Bulldogs’ 2018 campaign. He mentioned the Jacksonville Jaguars, Seattle Seahawks, Minnesota Vikings, and Detroit Lions among the teams who have expressed interest in him.

“I think I’m a guy who can do it all—line up at the end of the line, the H-back role, or split out wide,” Nauta said. “I caught a lot of passes and blocked a lot, as well, so I guess I’m a balanced tight end, you could say.”

For his three-season tenure at Georgia, Nauta made 68 receptions, including eight for touchdowns, for 905 yards, nearly half of which were gained last season. His 76.3 run-blocking grade in 2018, according to Pro Football Focus, ranked fourth on the entire team of those with at least 350 snaps. Still, rather than being balanced, there are some who believe Nauta was underutilized while at Georgia.

“It’s all about the team, man,” Nauta replied when asked if he thought he had been underutilized. “I had a pretty good year (2018) production-wise. But, more so, we won a lot of football games and we did a lot of things at Georgia that we hadn’t done in a while—and it was special to be a part of that.”

Listening to Nauta, it was not only apparent that his decision to leave school early was a difficult choice to make, but he seemed to still think of himself as part of "we”—part of the Georgia team.

“I think we are really close,” Nauta said when asked how close the Bulldogs were to reaching an even higher level. “We've got a lot of depth now. We have a lot of young guys who played last year. So I think this (year, 2019) might be a special year for Georgia for sure. And, you look at how close we are to doing something really special there. That’s definitely the hard part about leaving.”

Q: How much is blocking an aspect of the tight end position in the NFL?

Nauta: “It’s a huge part of the position. You’ve got to be able to do it and hold up against big defensive ends. That’s something I take a lot of pride in, and did a lot while at Georgia.

Q: What were your best and worst performances last season?

Nauta: I’d say my best game was against Florida (5 catches for 73 yards). My worst game was at LSU, when there were a couple of things blocking-wise I wish I could have back, and the only pass I dropped [last season] was in that game.

Q: What’s the difference between James Coley (Georgia’s current offensive coordinator) and Jim Chaney (former offensive coordinator)?

Nauta: Coley’s got that “juice”—whether it’s fake or not, I don’t know. But he brings it every day. He’s a very energetic guy who loves to have fun. Not that Coach Chaney didn’t have any energy, but Coach Coley just takes it to a whole new, different level. He’s fun to be in the same room with.

Q: What should NFL coaches and general managers know about you both personally and on the field?

Nauta: The biggest thing I’d want them to know is that I love the game of football. It’s something I’ve been doing my whole life. It’s what I eat, sleep, and breathe. On the field, they’re going to get a guy who will constantly fight, constantly work hard, and help them win football games.

Q: Talk about the charity you’re involved with and how it’s tied in with your performance here at the combine.

Nauta: People can donate money to my PLEDGE IT and if I reach or surpass my goal of 15 bench reps, all the money goes to the Food Bank of Northeast Georgia. It’s a cause that I wanted to raise money for because I went through some tough times at a young age, and we (his family) relied on that food bank. (Notably, Nauta wound up surpassing his goal by doing 19 bench reps.)