Georgia has 14 representatives at next week’s NFL Combine and it’s the view of NFL Network lead analyst Daniel Jeremiah that the Bulldogs will do very well for themselves once April’s NFL Draft rolls around.
That includes three players he views as first-round picks – Jalon Walker, Mykel Williams, and Malaki Starks.
“They have a boatload of dudes,” Jeremiah said Thursday in a teleconference with reporters. “Jalon Walker is one of my favorite players to study. He's got the versatility to play off the ball, on the ball. I think he's got a chance to be a special pass rusher.”
Although it’s unclear if the reigning Butkus Award winner will take part in all the events due to some minor injuries, Walker has a chance to open the eyes of the 32 teams even more than he already has.
“I know he's been nursing some things. I anticipate that when you see him run if he does decide to run, he can run in the 4.4s. He has legit explosive bursts. He plays with a ton of energy. He's a tone-setter,” Jeremiah said. “I see he plays with energy and passion. He plays fast. He's physical. And then when you talk to the coaches at Georgia and they say, this guy is rare, off-the-charts intangibles, leadership. He took over a couple of games, the Texas game at Texas, that was a statement there. I think he's a lock to go in the top 10.”
Jeremiah believes Williams is destined for the first round, too.
If not for the knee injury he suffered in the opener against Clemson, Williams' stock might be even higher.
“If he doesn't get hurt in that Clemson game and we see him at full strength, I think we're talking about him as another top 10 lock who has a lot of freaky qualities to him, freaky traits to him,” Jeremiah said. “He can really get off the ball. He's got a lot of power and violence as a rusher. He can set the edge. He hasn't been great, but that's because the guy wasn't healthy all year long, and they still roll guys through there. I think the Travon Walker experience and seeing how he has continued to develop with the Jags, I think that when it's all said and done, I will be more surprised than not if he's not all the way up in the top 10.”
Starks is also an interesting read.
Although the former Jefferson standout got off to a great start with his highlight-reel interception against Clemson, there weren’t many big plays after that.
Still, Jeremiah feels Starks’ consistency will keep him in the first round.
“He’s real reliable. He's obviously a really smooth athlete and takes really good angles. He gets guys on the ground. I like the fact that he's young,” Jeremiah said. “I think his best football is still ahead of him, and I like the fact that he has safety nickel flex and can do a lot of different things. To me I think it will be interesting to see how he works out and how he tests, but he's right there to me more so in the back half of the first half than the first half of the first round.”
The hour-long question and answer session also included one about the four members of the offensive line in attendance – Jared Wilson, Tate Ratledge, Xavier Truss, and Dylan Fairchild.
Of the group, Wilson stands out.
“Wilson to me, is the top one of the bunch. He's a center, wide base, and plays with strong hands. He takes good angles at the second level. Real firm. He's aware on twists in games. He can recover and stay attached. I think he's an elite athlete. He just really doesn't get beat, and he's a good solid player.”
Ratledge has some areas to improve.
“He has a good seal and is a position blocker, he takes good angles but is kind of more upper body; he wrestles,” Jeremiah said. “The side note, watching that Florida tape, Florida's got that 400-pound defensive tackle, and that defensive tackle threw him around a little bit. Had some initial pop; just didn't do a really good job of sustaining. I had him as a down-the-line guy.”
The same is true for Truss and Fairchild.
“Truss is a position blocker some right guard as well. He just plays a little bit high and struggles to change direction,” Jeremiah said. “I didn't think he was able to bend and sink all that well. He does flash some power and can pull and kick out. He’s a Day 3 guy for me.”
So, too, is Fairchild.
“He’s got strong hands and does a good job reworking his hands. He can control the point of attack, but is just a little bit stiff,” Jeremiah said. “He plays a little bit high, looks for work, and is just a little bit limited athletically. I thought Wilson was on a different tier personally than the rest of them, but they're all going to get picked.”
