UGASports Mock Draft—Round 22

It’s Round 22 of the inaugural UGASports Mock Draft—and that means there are only three picks remaining for each of the selectors, subscriber rdfdawg34, and team writers, Dash and Patrick. But first, a recap of the previous round.

Round 21 Recap: Finishing off his trio of receivers, rdfdawg34 selected Tyler Simmons, whom he feels is about to have a breakout season. Dash picked his third of four defensive backs, Eric Stokes, one of the team’s fastest players with a lot of potential. Finally, Patrick chose his running back, five-star signee James Cook, who very well could be utilized by the Bulldogs as an elusive weapon as a mere true freshman this year.

Patrick Garbin—Sam Pittman, Coach: With three rounds remaining, two of which I knowingly will secure the players I desire since the other two selectors have filled those positions, I made the one selection I needed to before he was scooped up by someone else—my coach, Sam Pittman. Simply, Pittman is invaluable to the UGA football program. I’ll go a step further and say, if there was an assistant Kirby Smart would want to lose the least, it’s the Bulldogs’ offensive line coach. For Pittman, the proof is in the pudding: Georgia’s offensive line was likely the position most in question for the Dogs entering the 2017 season. Only one year later, and after the departure of a first-round draft pick and a unit which will likely start a freshman this season, the Bulldogs’ offensive line is considered perhaps the best in all of college football entering the 2018 campaign. Such improvement and success are due in large part to the exceptional coaching and tremendous recruiting from Sam Pittman. Yessirrr!

Anthony Dasher—Latavious Brini, DB: It's time to round out my secondary and redshirt freshman Latavious Brini is the perfect option. Kirby Smart loves taller defensive backs, and I do too. From what I understand, Bulldog coaches were actually pleased with what they saw from Brini the latter half of last year and into the spring. He’s probably slated for backup duty this year with Georgia, but the talent is there.

rdfdawg34—Elijah Holyfield, RB: I waited late to draft a running back, however, I actually got the guy I personally wanted from the beginning. I am a sucker for nasty, bruising backs who run downhill with bad intentions—and, with Holyfield, that's exactly what I have. From the start of the draft, I've had an identity in mind for my offense and that is to be nasty and physical. Holyfield represents that identity and caps off an offensive draft which fits what I've been looking for since the beginning. In my opinion, it appears focus has shifted off of the junior running back and directed towards the new guys on the block (Cook and Zeus); however, Holyfield is an elite talent, and I feel this is the year he puts it all together and proves that the flashes he showed last season were no fluke.