Week 1 of the NFL season is in the books and there were several former Georgia Bulldogs that shined as NFL action returned. Georgia has 45 players on active rosters in the NFL, nine players on practice squads and three players (including Nick Chubb) on reserve.
NFL teams love former Georgia Bulldogs. A total of 33 former Dawgs have been selected over the past three NFL drafts.
“You know, it’s unfortunate because the feedback we get from the NFL is there’s nowhere they’d rather have players than here developing,” said Georgia head coach Kirby Smart at his weekly press conference.
We look to examine how five former Georgia football standouts performed to begin the 2024 NFL season.
Matthew Stafford, Los Angeles Rams
Result: Overtime loss at Detroit Lions 26-20
In his third time playing the team that took him first overall, Stafford balled out again, with 317 yards, a touchdown, and an interception for an 85.2 passer rating. He earned a spot on this list for his second half. Stafford’s first half was dreadful, leading the Rams to only three points and throwing an interception when they were driving. In his second half, he threw 201 yards and led the Rams to a massive comeback, tying it with a touchdown to Cooper Kupp early in the fourth quarter. However, he couldn’t execute the drive to win, and in overtime, the Lions ran all over the Rams defense to lose the game.
James Cook, Buffalo Bills
Result: Win vs. Arizona Cardinals 34-28
Many Buffalo fans will thank Josh Allen for his heroics in this nailbiter against the Cardinals, but Cook deserves his props. Cook had 71 yards rushing on 19 carries, which is below average at 3.7 yards per attempt, but he salvaged his day with 32 receiving yards on three receptions.
George Pickens, Pittsburgh Steelers
Result: Win at Atlanta Falcons 18-10
Pickens has been a candidate to break out for a while. With better QB play, he was expected to potentially be a Pro Bowl receiver. In Week 1, he lived up to the hype, totaling 85 yards on six receptions. It would’ve been even more had the Steelers not committed a penalty on a 46-yard bomb from Justin Fields.
Ladd McConkey, Los Angeles Chargers
Result: Win vs. Las Vegas Raiders 22-10
The Chargers stuck with a run-heavy game plan under Jim Harbaugh, so the Chargers only had 144 passing yards. However, former Bulldog Ladd McConey still shined, leading with 39 receiving yards and a touchdown in his debut. He looks like one of the top two receivers on the Charger’s depth chart and could potentially lead the team in receiving yards
Travon Walker, Jacksonville Jaguars
Result: Loss vs. Miami Dolphins 20-17
Walker has had high expectations since being picked 1st overall in 2022. In this week, he’s lived up to the billing, racking up six tackles, one tackle for loss, and sacking former Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa twice. He could be in the running for DPOW with this performance. Unfortunately, it couldn’t prevent the Jaguars from blowing a 17-point-lead to the Dolphins.