Even after losing six contributors from their front seven to the NFL Draft this offseason, Georgia's defensive line is still being viewed as one of the SEC's best units heading into the season.
During a recent edition of the "Cube Show," ESPN analyst Cole Cubelic ranked the top-five defensive lines in the SEC, and had the Bulldogs ranked at No. 3. That is despite the group not having the same returning production as they have had in recent years.
"I have seen this group play in spurts, play really well. So I've seen Jordan Hall play well in spurts. I've seen Christen Miller play well in spurts," Cubelic said. "I've seen Nasir Johnson play well in spurts."
Of those three, Miller boasts the most experience. Even with Warren Brinson and Nazir Stackhouse playing with him on the interior defensive line, Miller took snaps in 12 games last season as a redshirt sophomore, starting in 10 of those. Miller finished with 27 tackles, four for a loss, and 1.5 sacks last season.
Meanwhile, both Hall and Johnson will be the guys the Bulldogs look to take the next step. Hall, the former five-star prospect, missed time last season due to injuries. Now, after being healthy during the spring, Hall will get his first chance as a full-time contributor.
Johnson, on the other hand, played in just one game as a true freshman. At 6-foot-6 and 340 pounds, the Dublin, Georgia, native has the size to help the Bulldogs at nose tackle.
Then comes the edge rushers, where Georgia dipped into the transfer portal for some help after losing Mykel Williams, Jalon Walker, and Chaz Chambliss to the draft. Also, Damon Wilson transferred to Missouri.
"You go get Elo Modozie, who we talked about in our impact transfer list a couple of weeks ago," Cubelic said. "I think [he] has the ability. If he can add eight to 12 pounds before he enters the season, he can be as dominant of an edge defender as there is in this league."
Modozie joined an edge rushing group that, before his transfer, had just Gabe Harris as their only pass rusher with meaningful experience. Between Modozie and Harris, the Bulldogs have two edge rushers who recorded a combined 8.5 sacks and 12 tackles for a loss.
"Kirby and his group get them to sell out on their blitzes and their stunts better than anybody else," Cubelic said. "They know exactly where to hit a gap. They know exactly how to roll off somebody else. ... They sell out for the system more times than not, and that's why I give them a little bit of an edge because that's what their coach to do is how they operate, and they've done it for a long period of time so Georgia is going to come in at three."
