Tag: dandre swift nfl

What have we learned from Georgia football alumni at the NFL Combine?

In which we compile all of this week’s posts pertaining to former Bulldogs at this week’s NFL Scouting Combine

For those who can’t focus the ideal amount of attention to Georgia football news, I’ll compile some of this week’s posts pertaining to former Bulldogs at the NFL Scouting Combine:

Brian Herrien provides a recollection of Nick Chubb’s encouragement.

Both of Georgia’s invited tailbacks were faster than Florida’s only invited tailback.

D’Andre Swift proved speedier than his two most famous former teammates.

J.R. Reed can do it all.

Charlie Woerner is a man among boys.

In other news:

The basketball Bulldogs stuck out a nervous victory over Arkansas sealed by an Anthony Edwards dunk.

The baseball Bulldogs embarrassed Georgia Tech in Atlanta. Fewer than twenty hours prior, Scott Stricklin’s Bulldogs edged out the Yellow Jackets by a score of six to five.

D’Andre Swift outran former teammates Chubb and Michel at NFL Combine

Though not yet a pro, D’Andre Swift has a leg up (so to speak) on each aforementioned Bulldog teammate.

Former Georgia football tailback D’Andre Swift spent only one season in Athens alongside current NFL standouts Nick Chubb and Sony Michel.

NFL cameras and radar show that, in terms of speed, Swift is one step ahead.

To provide another trite observation: Swift is swift.

At this year’s NFL Scouting Combine, Swift dashed 40 yards in 4.49 seconds, outrunning Chubb’s 4.53 and Michel’s 4.54 recorded during 2018’s event.

Upon their respective departures from the University of Georgia, all three players received an invitation to the NFL Scouting Combine. Both of Swift’s former teammates and current mentors were selected within the first two rounds of the 2018 NFL Draft.

He outran the footsteps he was hoping to follow. In terms of draft order, he can do it again.

Swift, like Brian Herrien, had the opportunity to learn from some of Georgia’s best.

Though not yet a pro, D’Andre Swift has a leg up (so to speak) on each aforementioned Bulldog teammate.

Both former Georgia football RB’s invited to NFL Combine ran faster than Florida’s one

Just as it’s been in the SEC East every year for the past three years, the Dawgs are on top of Florida.

At this week’s NFL Scouting Combine, the University of Georgia boasts two representatives at running back. The school’s football program is known for having a one or two decent players at the position.

Georgia’s main rival has one representative running back at this year’s NFL Scouting Combine, Lamical Perine. Perine ran a 40-yard dash in 4.65 seconds compared to Swift’s 4.49 and Herrien’s 4.62.

Just as it’s been in the SEC East every year for the past three years, the Dawgs are on top of Florida.

Swift’s swift dash can be seen here:

Between the two tailbacks’ seven combined seasons in silver britches, one loss to the Gators was experienced collectively.

Georgia football’s D’Andre Swift outruns Florida football’s top RB

Despite forgoing his senior year, Swift has earned his fourth win over Florida.

The University of Georgia has a history of placing tailbacks into the NFL.

D’Andre Swift aims to be the eleventh former Georgia tailback drafted in the past twenty years and is one of ten Bulldogs invited to this year’s NFL Scouting Combine.

Rival Florida is also well-represented with eight participants, but with only one running back, Lamical Perine. Georgia provides two in Swift and Brian Herrien.

Perine completed his drill in 4.65 seconds. Compare that to Swift’s 4.49 seconds.

Swift is one of a select group of Bulldogs to finish his collegiate career undefeated against the Gators in three or more games.

Despite forgoing his senior year, Swift has earned his fourth win over Florida.

Watch: Georgia OT Isaiah Wilson explains what it’s like blocking for D’Andre Swift

Georgia football OT Isaiah Wilson explains what it’s like blocking for D’Andre Swift.

While in Indianapolis for the NFL Combine, Georgia offensive tackle Isaiah Wilson was asked a question about what it’s like blocking for running back D’Andre Swift.

Wilson started two seasons for Georgia on the offensive line, and both seasons Swift was the Bulldogs’ lead ball carrier.

Wilson and Swift both came to Georgia out of the Northeast, with Wilson hailing from Brooklyn and Swift from Philadelphia.

They’ve both credited their mean style of play and their work ethic to where they grew up, and Wilson said that it’s been “fun blocking for him” over the past few seasons.

Watch Wilson speak on Swift here:

Behind Wilson, Swift was able to rush for a combined 2,267 rushing yards and 21 total touchdowns.

Swift is viewed as a late first or early second round pick while Wilson could go anywhere from the first to the third round.

USA TODAY releases scouting report for Georgia football RB D’Andre Swift

Swift’s footwork and balance given his bulky build have NFL scouts intrigued.

Former Georgia tailback D’Andre Swift is one of ten Bulldogs invited to Indianapolis to perform skills assessments before a mass of professional football scouts.

USA TODAY’s DraftWire has provided a plethora of pre-NFL Draft analyses leading up to this month’s NFL Scouting Combine. The latest from Patrick Conn provides a favorable projection for invitee D’Andre Swift.

“Swift is likely the top rated running back on most draft boards and could be the first one selected in the NFL Draft. Based on how he plays the game, Swift has future New England Patriot written all over him (well, if they didn’t already have former teammate Sony Michel).”

The analysis points out how Swift’s speed is rare given his muscular build, shorter-than-average height, and the resultant low center of gravity.

Swift’s footwork and balance given his bulky build have NFL scouts intrigued. He’s a ball carrier who requires a full-effort tackle to down. He is also fully capable of jumping clean over defenders quite a bit larger than he.

No shoulder-to-shoulder. No shoestrings. No arm tackles.

In other words, D’Andre Swift is too jacked, too swole, too yolked to have any sort of right being as, uh, swift as he is. That’s because the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.

However, the projector does bring up a possible criticism:

“As with any running back in the class, Swift will need to focus on his pass protecting technique at the NFL level…Durability is going to be a concern, not just on the injury front. At Georgia he never had more than 220 touches on offense, so a heavier workload will be a concern moving forward.”

The analyst conservatively assess Swift as a top 50 pick and compares his comprehensive run, catch, block capabilities to Christian McCaffrey.

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.

Mel Kiper has two Georgia football players going early in 2020 NFL mock draft

ESPN’s Mel Kiper has two Georgia football players taken in first round of his 2020 NFL mock draft.

ESPN’s NFL Draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. has two Georgia football players going in the first round in his most recent 2020 NFL mock draft.

With the No. 8 pick in the NFL Draft, Kiper predicts the Arizona Cardinals will bolster their offensive line by selecting Georgia offensive tackle Andrew Thomas. Kiper has Thomas as the first left tackle off the board.

Kiper wrote:

This is about the range in which we could see a run on offensive tackles, and Thomas, who has played on both the left and right, is No. 1 on my board. I debated going with a receiver here; wouldn’t Kyler Murray’s former teammate CeeDee Lamb enjoy catching a few more long touchdown passes from his friend? But this comes down to protecting the franchise quarterback, and Arizona desperately needs help along its line, particularly at left tackle, where starter D.J. Humphries is a free agent. The Cardinals also have some defensive deficiencies, so keep an eye on a defensive back, too.

Running back D’Andre Swift is the second Georgia player that Kiper has going in the first round. He has Swift going to the Miami Dolphins, who possess three first round picks, at 26 overall. Kiper also has the Dolphins taking Too Tagovailoa with the fifth pick. What a tandem that would be.

On the prediction, Dolphinswire.com sounds content with the Swift selection.

Miami’s biggest area of need is improvement in the run game. Forget positional value — Miami has enough picks that they should be focused on finding difference makers for their team. Swift definitely fits the bill as a dynamic three down back.

NFL releases list of early entrants for the 2020 draft

The NFL Draft is just a few months away and the league released a list of all the early entrants, including from Georgia football.

On Tuesday, the NFL released the official number of early entrants for the 2020 draft.

Of the 115 early entrants, 99 athletes were granted special eligibility (three years removed from high school) and 16 will have graduated but have collegiate eligibility remaining.

Last year, a record 135 collegians left early for the NFL draft. Of those, nearly one-third did not hear their name called on draft day. The siren song of the NFL sometimes isn’t so sweet.

The SEC, proving once again it is the most talented and competitive conference in the nation, saw 35 players forgo their senior year. The Big Ten lost 21 early entrants, the ACC and Pac-12 each lost 13 and the Big 12 lost 8 players to the draft. Other conference and NCAA division early losses include:

  • Mountain West, 6
  • AAC, 5
  • Conference USA, 4
  • Independents, 3
  • Sun Belt, 1
  • MAC, 0
  • FCS, DII, DIII, 5

National champion LSU lost the most early entrants with 9. SEC rivals Alabama, Georgia and Texas A&M were next, losing 6, 5 and 4, respectively.

Georgia  offensive tackle Andrew Thomas (junior) is widely expected to be one of the early entrants drafted in the top 10. Other Georgia early entrants include tackle Isaiah Wilson (RS soph, 2nd-3rd round), guard Solomon Kindley (RS junior, late 1st-2nd round), quarterback Jake Fromm (junior, 1st-2nd round) and running back D’Andre Swift (junior, 1st-2nd round).

The 2020 NFL Draft will be the 85th annual meeting of National Football League franchises to select newly eligible players. The draft is scheduled to be held from April 23–25, 2020, in Paradise, Nevada and will be televised live on ESPN.

The Georgia Bulldogs are your 2020 Sugar Bowl champs – Quick thoughts

Georgia football is the Sugar Bowl champions after beating Baylor in New Orleans.

Georgia is undefeated in the new decade.

The Dawgs moved to 12-2 on the season and 1-0 in 2020 after defeating No. 7 Baylor 26-14 in the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans.

Things were just clicking on Wednesday night against a Bears defense that is one of the best in the country.

But with 10+ key players sitting out the game, Georgia still came to play. After an embarrassing defeat last year, Kirby Smart made sure that the players who actually wanted to be there were ready for it.

Despite the fact that this was essentially an exhibition game, the win leaves Georgia fans with a nice feeling about things to come.

Recruiting is not over, and I’m sure Georgia targets were impressed by how the Dawgs played.

Speaking of recruiting, the Dawgs have a few big ones coming up this week. 5-stars Zach Evans (RB) and Darnell Washington (TE) will be making their announcements live during the the Under Armour All-American Game on Thursday. Coverage will begin at 6 p.m. on ESPN2.

Looking to next year, we saw a few players who are sure to make a big impact in 2020.

Zamir White took 18 carries for 92 yards. Kenny McIntosh, a freshman, took six carries and looked good as well. It will be interesting to see how they are used next year when Kendall Milton and possibly Evans come to town.

And then there was George Pickens, who was named MVP of the game. Pickens, a true freshman, hauled in 12 passes for 175 yards and a touchdown.

When interviewed, Pickens said “my offensive line is amazing. My quarterback is amazing.”

He then continued to praise his team.

“Put the camera on all these guys. I love them to death.”

Let’s talk about junior safety Richard LeCounte for a second. He receives a decent amount of unwarranted criticism on Twitter, but #2 is an absolute baller. His jersey number matched the amount of interceptions he had on Wednesday night. His NFL decision is unknown at this point, but we will have an answer on that shortly I’d assume.

As for Jake Fromm, the junior threw 30 passes, completing 20 of them for 250 yards, 2 touchdowns and no interceptions. When asked about what his future holds after the game, Fromm did not hint at whether or not he’s staying at Georgia. Instead, he praised God and his teammates. We will have to wait on that one.

D’Andre Swift is viewed as the No. 1 running back in this draft class by ESPN’s Todd McShay. We do not know what he’s going to do, but everyone expects Swift to turn pro. But what he did do was make the trip to New Orleans with his teammates. He was nursing a shoulder injury, but played through as much as he could.

After the game, Kirby praised the junior tailback for his dedication and for what he does off the field.

Kirby was clearly emotional about this win. Following the game, passion was pouring out of the former Bulldog as he hoisted the Sugar Bowl trophy with confetti flying.

Kirby called a great, aggressive game. He was aggressive on defense, pulled out some trickery on a flea flicker and a fake field goal. 

James Coley was also on his game. He was willing to adapt, call outside run plays and get his best available players into a spot where they were able to succeed.

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With the 2019 season officially over for Georgia, we look ahead to a 2020 that will see the Dawgs open with Virginia in Atlanta.

In week three, UGA travels to Tuscaloosa in what will surely be the game of the season at that point.

And Auburn, which complained about its schedule enough that the SEC finally did something, will be coming to Athens in early October rather than November.

Georgia vs Florida will be played on Halloween night in Jacksonville.

The South Carolina and Tennessee games will both be played in November, which will be an odd change of pace. Those games are typically in the first half of the year.

I predict 11-1, with the only loss coming to Alabama.

Dawgs vs Bama in the SEC Championship.

We’ll see….