Four Georgia football players named on Athlon Sports list of the top-25 SEC players available in the 2021 NFL Draft
The Southeast Conference set records this year in the 2020 NFL Draft. For the 14th straight year the SEC had more players drafted than any other conference.
63 players from the SEC were selected by NFL teams with 40 of those going in the first three rounds, including a record setting 15 in the first-round. The remaining four Power 5 conferences had a total of 48 players drafted. LSU had 14 players taken in the draft, the most of any SEC school.
Now that the 2020 draft has come and gone, analysts are already starting to predict next year’s outcome.
Athlon Sports released its list of the top 25 SEC players to watch for next year’s draft. On that list, four Georgia players were named, and one in the top 10.
Incoming transfer senior quarterback Jamie Newman ranked 21st on the list as well as 2nd among SEC quarterbacks.
Newman completed 61% of his passes for 2,868 yards, 26 touchdowns, 11 interceptions and rushed for another 574 yards and 6 touchdowns last season at Wake Forest. Now he will be bringing his talents to Athens, in hopes to spark the Bulldogs offense to championship form.
Rising junior cornerback Eric Stokes is next, ranked 20th on the list as well as 4th among SEC cornerbacks.
Stokes played a crucial role as a starter on the Dawgs defense last year. He also saw some starts later on in the 2018 season. Georgia’s defense finished first in the nation in scoring defense, allowing opponents an average of just 12.6 points per game.
Stokes recorded 58 total tackles, one sack, 18 pass breakups, one forced fumble and two tackles for loss in the past two seasons. Cornerbacks do not usually eye-popping stats, but Stokes is a nightmare for receivers in coverage.
Rising junior cornerback Tyson Campbell comes in at 16th on the list, 3rd among SEC cornerbacks.
Campbell doesn’t quite have his starting job. Last season, D.J. Daniel took over Campbell’s starting spot following the third game of the year.
Campbell is now a veteran and certainly has the talent to contribute to Georgia’s elite defense. He missed five games last season with a turf toe. His position battle with Daniel will be one of Georgia’s most intriguing intra-squad competitions to start the 2020 season. Georgia has solid depth at cornerback either way and Campbell will likely win his job back.
In the top 10 o the list is rising senior safety Richard LeCounte at the #8 spot.
Last season, LeCounte totaled 61 tackles, with an SEC-best three forced fumbles and tied for second in the conference in interceptions with four picks. LeCounte was responsible for seven of the 15 turnovers created by the Dawgs defense last year, proving himself to be the leader going into the 2020 season.
Athlon Sports also added a list of 25 honorable mentions to keep an eye on, including defensive tackle Jordan Davis, center Trey Hill and linebacker Monty Rice.
