Tag: andrew thomas combine

Which UGA o-lineman has most to gain this spring?

With so many starting spots available, who will offensive line coach Matt Luke turn to during his inaugural season in Athens?

Following the departure of former offensive line coach Sam Pittman, the new head coach at the University of Arkansas, multiple Bulldogs he recruited to the University of Georgia followed suit.

Tackle Isaiah Wilson, a redshirt sophomore, declared early for the NFL Draft. Fellow tackle and projected first round pick Andrew Thomas did as well following his junior season. Relatively surprisingly, guard Solomon Kindley made the same decision despite qualifying for a redshirt senior season.

Cade Mays, the first Georgia Bulldog since Jonas Jennings to play all five OL positions in red and black, transferred to Tennessee to play with his younger brother in Knoxville for their father’s alma mater.

Center Trey Hill and guard/tackle Ben Cleveland are the only holdovers to start on the Bulldogs’ offensive line. Both players are entering their final season of eligibility.

With so many starting spots available, who will offensive line coach Matt Luke turn to during his inaugural season in Athens?

Xavier Truss:

Assuming Ben Cleveland gets early reps at right tackle (if not right guard), the left tackle spot will be wide open and thus attainable for the redshirt freshman Truss. At six-foot-seven and 330 pounds, he’s got the length and mass necessary to protect right-handed grad transfer QB Jamie Newman’s blindside. Combine that with the motor and footwork necessary to facilitate outside run plays and he may just be the Dawgs’ best fit at LT.

Warren Ericson:

Following injuries and the several aforementioned early NFL Draft declarations, Ericson started at right guard in January’s Sugar Bowl win over Baylor. In 2020, the redshirt sophomore may have to rotate behind seniors Cleveland and Justin Shaffer at either of the guard positions, but can put himself in a good position to secure solid substitute reps before Cleveland and Shaffer exhaust their eligibility. Matt Luke clearly sees something in Ericson.

Warren McClendon:

The younger of the OL’s two Warrens, McClendon shares with Ericson ample opportunity to break into the starting lineup. With both tackle spots ripe for the taking, McClendon can compete with Truss at left tackle, but seems more suited for right tackle as his size. The cousin of former Georgia running back Bryan McClendon saw limited action in 2019 but has the skills and build to impose his will upon SEC defenders in 2020.

Justin Shaffer:

Shaffer has patiently waited his turn to start on the Bulldogs’ offensive line, and an untimely injury extended that timeline. He made his first career start against Tennessee and started every play of the game. In his start against South Carolina, a neck injury sidelined Shaffer for the remainder of the regular season. After having fully recovered from his injury, he’s deserved his time to show out in the trenches for the Dawgs and is expected to be a mainstay on Georgia’s 2020 offensive line.

Charlie Woerner praises Georgia football teammates at NFL Combine

Charlie Woerner, nephew of legendary Georgia Bulldogs safety Scott Woerner, is just happy to be here. “I definitely don’t feel like I have enough tape out there catching balls. So it’s definitely something to go out and prove that I can do.” The …

Charlie Woerner, nephew of legendary Georgia Bulldogs safety Scott Woerner, is just happy to be here.

“I definitely don’t feel like I have enough tape out there catching balls. So it’s definitely something to go out and prove that I can do.”

The tight end is one of ten former Dawgs invited to appear before NFL scouts prior to the league’s 2020 draft.

Answering media members at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, Woerner spent a near majority of his public interview singing the praises of his fellow Bulldogs invited to the combine.

First mentioned was tailback D’Andre Swift:

“D’Andre is a great player. I think he’s going to do really well in the NFL. He had a really good three years at Georgia. I wish all the best for him.”

Next, offensive tackle Andrew Thomas:

“I saw Andrew grow a ton, man. When he came in as a freshman, I’d never seen a freshman more ready to play and help out a team.”

Thomas, projected by some as the top offensive tackle prospect in this year’s NFL Draft, received a glowing review from his former teammate.

“As a freshman and to his junior year, he grew a ton. He got stronger and he really understood the game more. It was fun to play with him, that’s for sure.”

Woerner continued:

“To put Andrew out there [as starting left tackle] as a freshman and for him to do what he did in three years at Georgia…we trusted Andrew.”

Woerner’s former collegiate quarterbacks and fellow combine invitees Jake Fromm and Jacob Eason, both of whom declared early for 2020’s NFL Draft, are right-handed. Referring to protecting a righty quarterback’s blindside, he noted that “left tackle is one of the most important positions on the offense.”

On Jake Fromm:

“Jake’s a competitor, man. He’s going to do whatever it takes to win a football game. He’s going to be one of the hardest working guys on the team for sure. He’s going to push everyone around him to be the best.”

Woerner will participate in drills at the NFL Combine on Thursday, February 27 alongside all invited tight ends, wide receivers and quarterbacks, including fellow Georgia alumni Jake Fromm and Lawrence Cager.

Measurements for every Georgia football player at NFL Combine

NFL Combine measurement results for every Georgia football.

This week, a number of former Georgia players are in Indianapolis for the 2020 NFL Combine, where they will be partaking in measurements, on-field workouts, team interviews and medical examinations.

So far, every player minus J.R. Reed has gone through the measurement portion of the week, and we have all results listed for you below.

Here is this week’s schedule for Georgia’s 10 players in attendance.

(Note, Georgia has no players in group 3 — Just 1, 2 and 4.)

Group 1: (Fromm, Cager, Woerner)

Sunday, Feb. 23: Arrive in Indy, Registration, Orientation, Interviews

Monday, Feb. 24: Measurements, Pre-exam at hospital, Interviews

Tuesday, Feb. 25: Media session, Medical exams, Position coach interviews, Psychological testing

Wednesday, Feb. 26: NFLPA Meeting, Interviews, Bench Press, Psychological Testing

Thursday, Feb. 27: Limited testing, On-field Workout

Friday, Feb. 28: Departure from Indianapolis

Group 2: (Blankenship, Thomas, Kindley, Wilson, Swift, Herrien)

Monday, Feb. 24: Arrive in Indy, Registration, Orientation, Interviews

Tuesday, Feb. 25: Measurements, Pre-exam at hospital, Interviews

Wednesday, Feb. 26: Media session, Medical exams, Position coach interviews, Psychological testing

Thursday, Feb. 27: NFLPA Meeting, Interviews, Bench Press, Psychological Testing

Friday, Feb. 28: Limited testing, On-field Workout

Saturday, Feb. 29: Departure from Indianapolis

Group 4: DB (JR Reed)

Wednesday, Feb. 26: Arrive, Registration, Orientation, Interviews

Thursday, Feb. 27: Measurements, Pre-exam at hospital, Interviews

Friday, Feb. 28: Media session, Medical exams, Position coach interviews, Psychological testing

Saturday, Feb. 29: NFLPA Meeting, Interviews, Bench Press, Psychological Testing

Sunday, March 1: Limited testing, On-field Workout

Monday, March 2: Departure from Indianapolis

Here are the measurement results from the nine players so far:

Jake Fromm

Jan 6, 2018; Atlanta, GA, USA; Georgia Bulldogs quarterback Jake Fromm (11) speaks during media day at Philips Arena. Mandatory Credit: Butch Dill-USA TODAY Sports

Georgia’s Jake Fromm has received his 2020 NFL Combine measurements. Fromm’s hand size, which is under nine inches, is somewhat concerning. Nine inches is considered the minimum hand size for an NFL quarterback.

Here’s how both Jake Fromm and Washington Huskies QB Jacob Eason measured at the combine:

Ultimately, hand size doesn’t have much correlation with cold weather performance and fumbles, so it shouldn’t drop Fromm too far. That being said, Fromm doesn’t have the measurables of the other elite quarterbacks in the 2020 NFL Draft.

LSU’s Joe Burrow did have nine inch hands as well. He’ll still be the first pick of the NFL Draft. One-eighth of an inch shouldn’t make too much of a difference for UGA’s Jake Fromm.

NFL player comparison:

Fromm: Colt McCoy

Eason: Carson Palmer/Brock Osweiler

Pages: Page 1, Page 2, Page 3, Page 4, Page 5

Ten Georgia football alumni invited to NFL Combine

The Georgia Bulldogs will be well represented at the 2020 NFL Scouting Combine.

The Georgia Bulldogs will be well represented at the 2020 NFL Scouting Combine.

Ten Dawg lettermen will attempt to turn the heads of NFL scouts and coaches across a series of drills and exercises, all conducted between February 27 and March 2 in Indianapolis.

Today, the NFL released a list of all 337 players invited. Representing the Silver Britches will be (in alphabetical order):

  • Kicker Rodrigo Blankenship
  • Wide receiver Lawrence Cager
  • Quarterback Jake Fromm
  • Running back Brian Herrien
  • Offensive lineman Solomon Kindley
  • Safety JR Reed
  • Running back D’Andre Swift
  • Offensive lineman Andrew Thomas
  • Tight end Charlie Woerner
  • Offensive lineman Isaiah Wilson

With several surprising early draft declarations, Georgia is ranked among the top three in number of prospects invited per school.

The only school that matches Georgia’s number of participants is Alabama  and the only school with more participants than both is LSU.

Good luck to every Dawg at the Combine. The Bulldog Nation is rooting for you.