INDIANAPOLIS - Family will be at the heart of Zion Logue's NFL Combine experience.
His mother, Shelay Alexander-Wright, will arrive in Indianapolis later on Wednesday. She will be in Lucas Oil Stadium on Thursday when her son (who referred to his mother as his "prayer warrior") goes through combine testing.
But the former Georgia defensive lineman has another family member close to his heart this week as well. As he met with the media on Wednesday, Logue wore a chain with an image of his great-grandmother, Sadie Belle Alexander.
"I was in a single parent household," Logue said. "My mom, she worked two jobs a lot of the time, still works two jobs to this day. So my grandmother was a huge part of raising me and my sister. She taught me how to cook, clean, care for others, things like that."
When Logue arrived in Athens as part of the Class of 2019 and had to pick a number, the choice came easy. He chose 96 in honor of his great-grandmother's birthday, September 6.
Logue saw a lot of action sporting that number 96. He played in 50 total games across his five seasons as a Bulldog.
That time saw Logue total 52 total tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, and 1.5 sacks. Those aren't the gaudy career numbers of some other prospects at the combine. But Logue feels like he's as prepared as any.
"When you leave there, you’re going to be pro-ready," Logue said. "Yeah, you might not have the huge stat seasons. But you’re going to be ready to walk into any NFL building and give them your all. A lot of people always ask, 'Why did he come out? He should have had these numbers, he should have had that number.' It’s not about the numbers for me. It’s about can I take up two (blockers) so my guys can play freely and have great stats as well? I kind of took this from JD (Jordan Davis), I’m not the guy that’s going to have 16 TFLs, eight sacks. I’m just not that player. I wish I could, don’t get me wrong. But in our defense I wasn’t asked to do that."
As Logue auditions for NFL scouts this week, he hopes to show off his dependability and versatility. He recalled the 2022 win over Tennessee as a game he felt best showcased his talents.
Of course, even with two national championships under his belt, Logue had to reflect on the near-miss at a third.
He watched as Alabama, Michigan, Texas, and Washington battled in the College Football Playoff after the 2023 regular season. Logue and two of his Georgia teammates, Kamari Lassiter and Javon Bullard, watched the national championship game together. All agreed that the Bulldogs would have had a great shot of winning another title had they made the playoff.
Instead, the Bulldogs went to the Orange Bowl and beat Florida State 63-3. That subject came up between Logue and a couple of Seminoles at the postseason Shrine Bowl.
"They were just saying, SEC ain’t this, SEC ain’t that," Logue said. "I was like, y’all beat one SEC team. LSU, no knock to them. But I was like, I know y’all should have been in the conversation of the top four. Y’all were 14-0, 13-0, whatever the case might have been. But we still came to play at the end of the day. We know we should have been in the CFP as well, but we had something to finish. Those guys just didn’t feel like it was in their best interest, which I completely understand."
Logue is looking forward to being back in Athens around Pro Day, enjoying some laughs with his current and former teammates at the Bones cafeteria in the Georgia facility. But now, he knows the focus is on the NFL and taking care of his family.
"I told my mom at the age of 11, I’m going to get to the league one day so you don’t have to work again," Logue said. "She always tells me, don’t do it for me, do it for yourself. But I still want to make sure my mom’s okay, make sure she’s taken care of."
