PFF says Georgia football has nation’s No. 3 WR duo

PFF says Georgia has nation’s No. 3 WR duo

Georgia is loaded at the wide receiver position this year, and that’s even with superstar George Pickens sidelined for the foreseeable future with a torn ACL.

The addition of LSU tight end Arik Gilbert, who will be playing wide receiver for the Bulldogs in 2021, really pushed UGA over the hump as the 6-foot-5, 250 pounder is coming off a sensational freshman year with the Tigers.

That’s why Pro Football Focus says Georgia has the nation’s No. 3 ranked wide receiver duo.

Who is the second player to pair with Gilbert, you may ask? well, as PFF says….pick one.

If wide receiver George Pickens hadn’t torn his ACL this past spring, then the Bulldogs would be 1b to Ohio State for best receiving unit in college football. While they will be without Pickens for the 2021 season, they still have a bevy of talented options to choose from alongside Gilbert. The top candidate to be that No. 2 option is Dominick Blaylock, who has had his career interrupted by multiple serious injuries. Blaylock is recovering from his second torn ACL within eight months but is on the path to being healthy in 2021.

Georgia also returns Kearis Jackson, who looked like he was on track to break out early on in 2020, but his production failed to sustain. He went from a 90.2 receiving grade and 4.69 yards per route run through the first three contests to a 61.3 receiving grade and 1.30 yards per route run in his next seven games. He’s one of several high-ceiling, low-floor players on this team.

And don’t sleep on Arian Smith making a big impact this fall. Smith is a two-sport, world-class track star for his school.  He’s going to be a dangerous deep threat one day.

No. 1 was Ohio State with Chris Olave and Garrett Wilson and Clemson at No. 2 with Justyn Ross and Joe Ngata.

PFF expects Georgia Bulldogs WR to breakout

Pro Football Focus projects Georgia Bulldogs wide receiver Arian Smith to breakout during the 2021 college football season

Pro Football Focus projects Georgia Bulldogs wide receiver Arian Smith to breakout during the 2021 college football season. Smith is one of the fastest college athletes in the country.

The Lakeland High School speedster arrived in Athens as a four-star recruit, who was a member of the class of 2020, but Smith experienced a few injuries that setback his initial development.

Smith ran a 10.18 in the 100-meters event for Georgia’s track team this spring. Smith has burning speed and is well situated to have a big season following the emergence of Georgia quarterback JT Daniels.

Daniels flashed the ability to throw accurate deep balls in his four starts last season. He connected with Arian Smith a few times near the end of the year.

Smith will be a more critical target for the Bulldogs in 2021 because starting wide receiver George Pickens tore his ACL and Demetris Robertson is considering transferring. There should be plenty of opportunity for Arian Smith.

Smith was banged up last offseason. He underwent wrist surgery in May and had meniscus surgery in July. Smith did not play until Georgia’s final four games. He made an impact against South Carolina and Cincinnati and ended the season with 86 receiving yards on only two catches.

Here was Smith’s only career touchdown against South Carolina:

PFF additionally projects Ohio State’s Jaxon Smith-Njigba, TCU’s Quentin Johnston, LSU’s Kayshon Boutte, Maryland’s Rakim Jarrett, and Clemson’s Joe Ngata to be the other breakout wide receivers for the 2021 college football season.

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Georgia football player card: WR Arian Smith

Georgia Bulldogs wide receiver Arian Smith is one of the fastest college football players in the country.

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Arian Smith, Wide Receiver (No. 11):

Class: Redshirt Freshman

Height: 6-0

Weight: 185 pounds

Hometown: Bradley, Florida

High School: Lakeland High School

Georgia Bulldogs wide receiver Arian Smith is one of the fastest college football players in the country. The Lakeland High School speedster came to Athens as a four-star recruit in the class of 2020.

Smith runs for Georgia’s track team in addition to playing wide receiver. Smith ran an impressive 100-meters time of 10.18 during track season. He helped Matthew Boling and Georgia set a school record of 38.54 in the 4×100-meter relay event.

Smith will be an important deep threat for the Bulldogs and quarterback J.T. Daniels. Georgia is missing starting wide receive George Pickens, who tore his ACL, and Demetris Robertson entered the NCAA transfer portal. There will be plenty of opportunity for Arian Smith.

Smith was banged up last offseason. He underwent wrist surgery in May and had meniscus surgery in July. Smith did not play until Georgia’s final four games. He made an impact against South Carolina and Cincinnati, but ended up taking a redshirt year. He will look to build off his solid ending to the season.

Kirby Smart and Todd Monken signed Smith, Justin Robinson, Marcus Rosemy, Jermaine Burton and Ladd McConkey as wide receivers in the class of 2020.

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Jan. 1, 2021; Atlanta; Georgia Bulldogs wide receiver Arian Smith (11) celebrates after a victory against the Cincinnati Bearcats in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

Georgia football player card: WR Arian Smith

Georgia Bulldogs wide receiver Arian Smith may be the fastest player on Georgia’s roster

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Arian Smith, Wide Receiver (No. 11):

Class: Freshman

Height: 6-0

Weight: 185 pounds

Hometown: Bradley, Florida

High School: Lakeland High School

Georgia Bulldogs wide receiver Arian Smith may be the fastest player on Georgia’s roster. Smith comes to Athens as a four-star recruit and a member of the class of 2020.

There’s anticipated to be competition at every wide receiver spot outside of the place occupied by George Pickens. Smith will be a deep threat for the Bulldogs. The speedster runs 100 meters in a mere 10.6 seconds.

Unfortunately for Smith, he’s been banged up this offseason. The four-star underwent wrist surgery in May and then had meniscus surgery in July. Smith is expected to be ready for the season opener against Arkansas. He may need some extra reps in practice before he’ll be ready to be a contributor. Smith has missed much of the offseason, but has the talent to play immediately.

Kirby Smart and Todd Monken signed Smith, Justin Robinson, Marcus Rosemy, Jermaine Burton (LSU flip), and Ladd McConkey in the class of 2020 at the wide receiver position. It will be fascinating to see which players emerge from this talented group as freshmen.

In addition to playing football, Arian Smith also participated in track at a high level in high school. He competed against the likes of Matthew Boling.

Jun 22, 2019; Miramar, FL, USA; Matthew Boling (center) wins the 100m in a wind-aided 10.15 during the USATF U20 Championships at Ansin Sports Complex. (From left ) Dante Brown Jr., and Arian Smith and Boling and Justin Ofotan. Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

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UGA football player card: WR Justin Robinson

Georgia Bulldogs wide receiver Justin Robinson signed with the University of Georgia as a member of the class of 2020

Justin Robinson, Wide Receiver (#17):

Class: Freshman

Height: 6-4

Weight: 200 pounds

Hometown: McDonough, Georgia

High School: Eagles Landing

Georgia Bulldogs wide receiver Justin Robinson signed with the University of Georgia as a member of the class of 2020. Robinson has great size and came to Athens as a four-star recruit. Robinson won multiple state championships during his time at Eagles Landing Christian Academy.

Robinson will have an opportunity to compete this seasonespecially with Dominick Blaylock’s torn ACL. He’s expected to battle with other talented recruits for playing time at wide receiver opposite George Pickens.

Kirby Smart and Todd Monken signed Robinson, Arian Smith, Marcus Rosemy, Jermaine Burton (LSU flip), and Ladd McConkey in the class of 2020 at the wide receiver position. It will be interesting to see which ones emerge from this talented group as freshmen.

Here’s a look at Robinson following won of his state championship victories:

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PFF spotlights Georgia football WRs George Pickens, Dominick Blaylock

Georgia football receivers George Pickens and Dominick Blaylock are due for a big 2020 college football season.

George Pickens and Dominick Blaylock signed with Georgia as five-star receivers in the class of 2019.

Georgia was able to flip Pickens from Auburn on signing day, while Blaylock was all-dawg from the start. Blaylock committed to Georgia in July of 2017 and then signed in December of 2018.

Georgia fans had high expectations for both of them, and both lived up to the hype.

Pro Football Focus spotlighted how the two finished the season with zero drops. See the tweet below.

Pickens was a superstar his freshman season, catching 49 passes for 727 yards and 8 touchdowns. He’s considered one of the top returning receivers in college football for the 2020 season.

Blaylock hauled in 18 catches for 310 yards and 5 touchdowns. He suffered a torn ACL against LSU in the SEC Championship Game.

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