Tag: uga players in nfl

Report: Patriots make contract decision on two former Georgia players

Per ESPN, the New England Patriots have made contract decisions on former UGA football stars Sony Michel and Isaiah Wynn.

In 2018, the New England Patriots selected two Georgia Bulldogs with both of their first-round NFL draft picks.

At No. 23 overall, the Patriots took former UGA offensive lineman Isaiah Wynn. Eight picks later, New England selected Georgia’s third all-time leading rusher, Sony Michel.

Now, the Patriots have reportedly made their decisions on fifth-year options for both former Bulldogs.

Per ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, New England has picked up the fifth-year option on Wynn and declined to do so on Michel.

Wynn, though only having played in 18 games since entering the NFL, has served as the Patriots starting left tackle since entering the league. He missed his entire rookie season after suffering a torn ACL in a preseason game, but when healthy, he’s performed well.

Per ESPN:

By having his option exercised, Wynn will be paid a base salary of $10.4 million, fully guaranteed, in 2022.

As for Michel, he’s had his ups and downs since entering the NFL. The former 5-star recruit and Rose Bowl hero has racked up 2,292 rushing yards and 14 touchdowns in his three NFL seasons but has proved inconsistent. Additionally, he found himself on the injured reserve last season, allowing him to play in only nine games.

Michel has had some bright spots with New England, though. In his first year, en route to a Super Bowl, Michel scored the most playoff rushing touchdowns by a rookie in league history.

Had the Patriots picked up the fifth-year option on Michel, Michel would be set to earn a fully guaranteed base salary of roughly $4.5 million, per Over the Cap, in 2022.

CBSSports releases 2020 NFL Top 100 list: Three Georgia players included

Three former Georgia football players made CBSSports’ list of the top 100 NFL players for 2020.

Pete Prisco of CBSSports recently released his list of the top 100 NFL players for the 2020 season and included three Georgia Bulldogs.

Related: If UGA was fielding a starting team based on current NFL players, here’s what it would look like

A few notable players who did not make the list include: Matthew Stafford, Todd Gurley, Justin Houston, Roquan Smith, David Andrews

Here are the Dawgs that did make the list:

53. Geno Atkins

At #53 on the list is Georgia great Geno Atkins.

Atkins has been one of the league’s most dominant interior defensive lineman since entering the NFL in 2010. He has played his full career with the Bengals, is an eight-time pro-bowler, a two-time first-team all-pro and a member of the 2010s NFL All-Decade Team.

Prisco’s thoughts on Atkins:

“His sacks numbers were down to 4.5 last season, the fewest he’s had since 2014. He’s still capable of doing more than sacking the quarterback, but is age (32) starting to slow him down?”

63. AJ Green

At #63 on the list is another Cincinnati Bengals star, former Georgia phenom AJ Green.

Green remains one of the league’s best wide receivers despite missing the entirety of the 2019 season. When he’s healthy, he’s one of the best in the league, and some can argue that he is the best.

Let’s see what he can do this year now that he finally has a quarterback in Joe Burrow.

Prisco’s thoughts on Green:

“He sat out the entire 2019 season with an ankle injury, so he’s a tough one to slot. But I still think at the age of 31, he can still be a No. 1 receiver. Health is the key.”

71. Nick Chubb

Scott R. Galvin-USA TODAY Sports

Nick Chubb is fresh off of his second season in the NFL that saw him come 46 yards shy of leading the league in rushing.

Chubb is the 7th ranked running back on this list, coming in behind Christian McCaffrey, Ezekiel Elliott, Saquon Barkley, Alvin Kamara, Dalvin Cook, and Derrick Henry.

Prisco’s thoughts on Chubb:

“With much of the talk about the Browns passing game coming into the season, it was Chubb who was the best offensive player. He was second in the league in rushing with 1,494 yards and also caught 36 passes. He averaged 5.0 yards per rush.”

for the full list, click here

[vertical-gallery id=28511]