2022 NFL Draft: Mel Kiper Jr. believes Lewis Cine is underrated, reveals draft placement

Lewis Cine put together a standout career at Georgia, but he wasn’t one of the Bulldogs’ most recognized players. With so many stars on the team’s roster, Cine – a standout defender – flew under the radar, but that doesn’t mean that he should be a late pick in the upcoming NFL Draft, according to ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr.

Cine – a former On3 Consensus four-star recruit out of the Class of 2019 – recorded his best season with Georgia in 2021, as he tallied 73 total tackles and an interception to help lead the Bulldogs to winning the College Football Playoff national championship.

Finishing his Georgia career with 144 total tackles and two interceptions, Cine is projected to be a late first-round or early second-round selection in the NFL Draft, per Kiper – who recently spoke highly of the defender on ESPN’s SportsCenter.

“And then you have the Lions at pick 32,” Kiper said. “Do they take the quarterback here? Do they trade out and let somebody else jump in and get the quarterback? If Daxton Hill from Michigan were here – he’s one of my favorite players … I think he goes a little higher, he won’t be there. Lewis Cine – a kid out of Georgia who was another one of those Georgia Bulldogs defensive player who was making plays for the national champion Georgia Bulldogs.

“There’s two players who didn’t get enough publicity – Lewis Cine and linebacker Channing Tindall, who I have going to Baltimore in the second round. I like Lewis Cine a lot. I think he deserves to be in that late first-round, early second-round discussion.”

A Cedar Hill, Texas native, Cine could hear his name called as early as Thursday, April 28 when the 2022 NFL Draft gets underway from Las Vegas. Coverage of the first round will begin at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN.