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Here are 15 players from the CFP championship that Detroit Lions fans should know for 2022 NFL draft purposes
The final college football game of the season hits the ground running on Monday night. Georgia and Alabama will match up for the second time this season, with the winner earning the CFP national championship.
Befitting the top two programs in the country, there are loads of future NFL players on both squads. Not all are first-round talents or perfect fits for the Lions, however. Here are 15 players from the CFP championship that Detroit fans should know for 2022 NFL draft purposes.
Our first three-round 2022 mock draft addressed offense early for the Saints after previewing the outlook in free agency:
If your household isn’t observing mock draft season just yet, they’re going to sooner or later. The New Orleans Saints are a couple more losses away from locking in a top-10 pick in the 2022 NFL draft. Half of the quarterbacks on their depth chart have been dealing with injuries and Taysom Hill is going to try and keep at it with a torn tendon in his throwing hand. Broken bones, inflamed joints, and sprained ligaments have been the story of their season.
So I took some time on my Saturday to shift focus to something infinitely more fun than sweating about the ways in which the Saints could lose to the New York Jets next week (which I’ll get back to soon, don’t worry). Here’s my first 2022 mock draft for the Saints, with takes on how they should spend their picks in the first three rounds of selections:
Where do Georgia players rank in Mel Kiper’s position rankings for the NFL draft?
Georgia set a school record during the 2021 NFL draft when it had nine Bulldogs selected, breaking its previous record of eight players (2002, 2013).
This year, Georgia will look to break that record again and send double-digit players into the NFL.
ESPN NFL draft analyst Mel Kiper has ranked each position group’s top-ten players for next year’s draft, and included ten Georgia Bulldogs.
Here is where they all rank in Kiper’s position rankings:
Highlighting how the Chargers can go about addressing some of their positions of need in next year’s draft.
As the saying goes, draft day is every day.
It may be only the seventh week of the NFL season, and the Chargers look like a playoff contender at 4-2, but it is never too early to look at the direction the team could go to continue to build an already stout roster.
While this mock is very early, positional needs are bound to change. However, we still get the sense based on what we have seen in the games thus far and players that are bound to be free agents.
With that being said, I used The Draft Network’s mock draft simulator to take a crack at predicting what L.A. might do come next April.
Let’s dive into the three-round mock draft!
The Chargers hit a home run with the selection of Rashawn Slater, who already looks like one of the better left tackles in this league. Now, Los Angeles must look to find the long-term solution on the opposite side, with Bryan Bulaga’s future in L.A. up in the air.
General manager Tom Telesco showed us last offseason that he is all in on investing in quarterback Justin Herbert, which is why he could choose to solidify the spot early on in the draft if he does not go with a veteran via free agency.
Following a season where he performed well as the Buckeye’s right tackle, Petit-Frere moved over as the team’s blindside blocker and has been nothing short of dominant in 2021 against top-tier competition.
At 6-foot-5 and 315 pounds, Petit-Frere looks the part with great length and plays with athleticism, flexibility, strength, and lower body explosion, controlling rushers in pass protection and moving bodies in the run game.
Since 2019, Petit-Frere has not allowed a quarterback hit in over 500 pass-block snaps, according to Pro Football Focus.
Keeping tabs on Ohio State RT 78 Nicholas Petit-Frere. Listed at 6-5 310 lbs., redshirt sophomore. Had externship with WWE to learn about pro wrestling. Watch him here doing a nice job taking this DT down. pic.twitter.com/FYTXDAzbKE
— Russell Brown (@RussNFLDraft) November 19, 2020
The most glaring issue for the Chargers up to this point in the season is the run defense. Not only do they lack the talent, but they could be lacking serious depth next offseason, considering Linval Joseph, Justin Jones, and Christian Covington are all slated to be free agents.
With that in mind, this is a position that could be addressed in the first round but since making sure that Herbert has all the tools to succeed takes priority, Los Angeles addresses the interior part of the defensive line in the following round.
Jordan Davis, Wyatt’s teammate, has received the majority of the buzz. However, Wyatt has played his way into early-round consideration, having led the Bulldogs’ interior defensive linemen in tackles each of the past two seasons and currently up to 10 quarterback hits in 2021.
According to The Athletic’s Bruce Feldman, Wyatt’s most impressive testing number is the 4.87 40 he clocked last offseason. He also vertical jumped 31 inches and broad jumped 9-3.
At 6-foot-3 and 315 pounds, Wyatt plays with the first-step quickness, leverage, lateral agility, and play strength at the point of attack to make an impact in all phases. In addition, he has the versatility to line up anywhere from the zero-to-five technique.
GA DT Devonte Wyatt is quick off snap when asked to one-gap, but also holds LOS when watching 2 (wins 1v1 and vs. some doubles). Keeps eyes in the backfield, has blown up center screens by watching QB. Pushes the pocket a bit and will get hands into passing lanes., #SnapScout22 pic.twitter.com/m1EeITX2lv
— Chad Reuter (@chad_reuter) August 21, 2021
With both Kyler Fackrell and Uchenna Nwosu’s contracts expiring after the season, the position could very well be near the top of the team’s priority list.
After spending the 2019 season on the sidelines, Gunter followed that up with 12.5 tackles for loss and six sacks last fall. In addition, he led the nation with six forced fumbles in 2020.
Standing at 6-foot-4 and 260 pounds, Gunter has a combination of explosion, power, and usage of length to create consistent pressure on the quarterback and impact the run. Furthermore, last season he tallied almost 100 coverage snaps.
Up to this point in the season, Gunter is third in Pro Football Focus’ “win percentage,” which is a stat that measures the percentage of wins vs. blockers on pass-rush snaps at 27.7%.
Jeffrey Gunter just terrorized the Arkansas State O-Line 😳
— PFF College (@PFF_College) October 8, 2021
Wyatt being recognized…
Georgia Bulldogs defensive lineman Devonte Wyatt has been named the SEC’s Defensive Lineman of the Week for his performance vs Arkansas on Saturday.
Wyatt recorded a team-high six tackles, had 1.5 tackles for a loss and forced a fumble as Georgia beat Arkansas 37-0.
Wyatt has been a centerpiece for the Dawgs defense that ranks No. 1 in the nation and is surrendering just 3.2 points per game this season.
#SECFB Defensive Lineman of the Week: @datboi_vontae
Full release » https://t.co/8eISw6xIr6 pic.twitter.com/SqRwVCjpLV
— Southeastern Conference (@SEC) October 4, 2021
Three Dawgs named Reese’s Senior Bowl Defensive Players of the Week
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Three Georgia Bulldogs – defensive linemen Jordan Davis, Devonte Wyatt and outside linebacker Adam Anderson – have been named the Reese’s Senior Bowl Defensive Players of the Week for their performance in a 10-3 win over Clemson.
The Dawgs had 7 sacks, held Clemson to 3 points, 180 total yards and just 2 yards rushing on the night. It was maybe the most dominant defensive performance I’ve ever seen from the Dawgs.
A huge part of that was because of the players listed below.
Obviously the whole defense deserves recognition and their were other players (Nakobe Dean and Lewis Cine) who absolutely balled out. But remember, this is an award for seniors only, which is why these were the three players selected.
🚨We have selected @GeorgiaFootball @jordanxdavis99, @datboi_vontae, @AdanAnderson5 as our Defensive Players of the Week for their performance vs Clemson. 5 solo, 6 assists, 11 total, 2 sacks, 3 TFLs, 1 PBU, holding Clemson’s offense to ZERO TDs. #GoDawgs #TheDraftStartsInMOBILE pic.twitter.com/IAPujSZwaZ
— Reese's Senior Bowl (@seniorbowl) September 6, 2021
The whole nation is talking about the 6-foot-6, 340 pound monster that is Jordan Davis. He was incredible on Saturday, recording 3 tackles, 1 sack and 2 tackles for a loss.
Adam Anderson showed off his athleticism and was all over the field on Saturday. Anderson had 5 tackles, a sack and a tackle for a loss.
And Devonte Wyatt was a disruptive force all night. He had 3 tackles and batted 2 balls down at the line of scrimmage.
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USA TODAY Sports has named the breakout stars on offense and defense for Georgia football in the upcoming 2021 season.
The SEC has wrapped up its spring practices around the conference, completed its annual spring games, and is now ready to take preparation for the 2021 season to the next level.
Georgia, despite having nine players selected in the 2021 NFL draft, returns a loaded roster that many predict will be talented enough to take the Dawgs back to the College Football Playoff for the first time since 2017.
Kirby Smart lost his best offensive player, wide receiver George Pickens, to a torn ACL, but the concern it created about UGA’s weapons on the outside was minimal.
That’s in large part thanks to the play of wide receiver Adonai Mitchell, who USA TODAY Sports named UGA’s top emerging offensive player.
The former three-star out of Cane Ridge High School in Antioch, Tennessee turned a lot of heads at Georgia’s G-Day scrimmage in April. Mitchell caught seven passes for 105 yards and a touchdown during the spring scrimmage and has a lot of Georgia fans excited about his potential to fill in for Pickens.
Mitchell was certainly not a household name among those who closely follow college football recruiting. The 381st overall player in America, Mitchell was only considered the 64th best receiver in the class of 2021.
NEXT: Georgia’s breakout defensive star
Numerous Georgia Bulldogs have announced that they intend to enter into the 2021 NFL Draft and several others are staying in Athens.
Eleven Georgia Bulldogs have announced that they intend to enter into the 2021 NFL Draft. Remaining players have about a week to make a decision on their NFL future. Additionally, six notable players have announced that they’re returning to the University of Georgia for another season.
The 2021 offseason is unique because players can transfer and be immediately eligible. The 2020 season does not count against anybody’s eligibility either.
Kirby Smart and Georgia will have to replace five defensive backs who have declared for the 2021 NFL Draft. The Bulldogs are only losing two offensive linemen and a tight end on the offensive side of the football. Quarterback JT Daniels is returning for another season and so are the vast majority of his weapons.
Here’s a list of every Georgia Bulldog who have made decisions regarding the 2021 NFL Draft:
Georgia Bulldogs defensive lineman Devonte Wyatt is returning for another senior season at the University of Georgia
Georgia Bulldogs defensive lineman Devonte Wyatt is returning for another senior season at the University of Georgia. He came to Athens after spending time at Hutchinson Community College in Kansas.
Wyatt was a four-star prospect coming out of Towers High School in Decatur, Georgia. He was similarly rated coming out of Hutchinson.
Wyatt played in 12 games during the 2018 season, during which he recorded 19 tackles and 1.5 sacks. He stepped up his game in 2019 and was a key factor in the Bulldogs’ No. 1-rated run defense. Wyatt had one sack as well in 2019.
This season, Wyatt recorded 21 tackles and several pressures. He started at defensive tackle for much of the year.
The senior defensive lineman has NFL potential, but is choosing to stay in Athens for another chance at the College Football Playoff. Wyatt announced his decision via his Twitter account:
Run it back 🦍🖤 @GeorgiaFootball pic.twitter.com/s4qvUuKWdQ
— Devonte Wyatt (@datboi_vontae) January 5, 2021
Kirby Smart and Georgia have a defensive boost with Wyatt’s return. The Dawgs are still losing several players in the secondary to the NFL Draft, but have the talent to fill in the gaps.
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Georgia Bulldogs defensive lineman Devonte Wyatt came to Athens after spending time at Hutchinson Community College in Kansas.
Devonte Wyatt, defensive lineman (No. 95):
Class: Senior
Height: 6-3
Weight: 301 pounds
Hometown: Decatur, Georgia
High School: Towers High School
Georgia Bulldogs defensive lineman Devonte Wyatt came to Athens after spending time at Hutchinson Community College in Kansas.
Wyatt was a three- or four-star prospect, depending on the recruiting site, coming out of Towers High School in Decatur, Georgia. He was similarly rated coming out of Hutchinson.
Wyatt played in 12 games during the 2018 season, during which he recorded 19 tackles and 1.5 sacks. He stepped up his game last season and was a key factor in the Bulldogs’ No. 1-rated run defense. Wyatt had one sack as well last year.
The senior defensive lineman has NFL potential. Unfortunately, he was involved in an off-the-field incident this offseason. He is certainly a key factor along Georgia’s defensive front, so he would be missed if he’s out for any games this season.
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