Roquan Smith has a new NFL home.

Thursday night, the Chicago Bears took the former Georgia All-American with the 8th pick in the first round of the NFL Draft.

"I'm so pumped to be a Chicago Bear and I can't wait to get up to Chicago," Smith told ChicagoBears.com. "I was very surprised. You can speculate and make assumptions but to actually see that phone ring and it's an Illinois, it's just insane. I'm pumped."

He becomes the Bulldogs' first opening round pick since former teammate Leonard Floyd, who was taken by the Bears in the first round with the No. 9 selection in 2016.

Smith said he's jacked to be reunited with his former Georgia teammate.

"I was a younger guy when Leonard was here my freshman year," Smith said. "I looked up to the guy the way he made plays, the way he handled himself so I'm definitely excited and can't wait to get to work with him."

Chicago general manager Ryan Pace was obviously thrilled to have his organization call Smith's name.

"The first thing that comes to mind is his instincts, his play speed and his physicality. I mean, he hits with impact. Those are things that jump out," Pace said. ""Every game you watch, he's just so explosive. This guy's flying around, making plays. In today's NFL, the linebackers are becoming more and more of this. Sometimes you might sacrifice a little bit of size to gain a lot of athleticism and a lot of speed, and Roquan definitely has that."

The MVP of the SEC Championship game and Butkus Award winner Smith he’s ready to get his NFL career underway.

"I couldn't be more excited. This is a childhood dream," Smith said. "It's an opportunity I feel like I'm ready."

Smith started all 15 games last fall and led the Bulldogs in total stops with 137, sacks (6.5), tackles for loss (14.0) and QB pressures (20). He was named one of four permanent team captains, as well as Defensive MVP, at the team's postseason awards gala.

He was also tabbed the Defensive MVP of the Rose Bowl with 11 tackles, including half a sack and highlighted by several key third-down stops. He was named to the All-Bowl Team by both ESPN and Rivals.com.

"I feel like I can be a vocal guy, but not a rah-rah guy all up in your face all the time. I feel like you have to know your teammates to be able to accept them, but my main thing is I lead by example," Smith said. "Guys tend to follow guys who do things the right way and go about their business. I feel like guys respect that because I know I have the utmost respect for individuals that do things the right way."