Eight Georgia players among Mel Kiper's top 10 draft prospects by position
The 2023 NFL Draft will be the story for the next couple of months. We’ll have all-star games like the Reese’s Senior Bowl, the NFL Scouting Combine, Pro Days and so much more. We’ll also have plenty of content from guys like ESPN Senior Draft Analyst Mel Kiper Jr., who has put out his top 10 players at each position.Eight Georgia players are included among the top 10 players at their position and two more “just missed.”
Starting at quarterback, Stetson Bennett comes in at No. 8. The former walk-on and two-time National Champion became Georgia’s first ever 4,000-yard passer in 2022. He won the Manning Award, the Burlsworth Trophy, and finished fourth in the Heisman Trophy balloting.
Kenny McIntosh “just missed” at running back but Darnell Washington, coming off a career year, is the No. 4 tight end. The Las Vegas native was UGA’s fourth-leading receiver with 28 grabs for 454 yards and two touchdowns. Among the Georgia players who had 10 or more catches, Washington was No. 1 in yards per reception at 16.21.
Broderick Jones comes in at No. 24 overall on Kiper’s Big Big and No. 3 at offensive tackle. Jones is coming off his first full season as a starter. He has 19 career starts. Warren McClendon, who’ll play in the Reese’s Senior Bowl, is listed among those who “just missed.” He started 37 straight games at Georgia before a knee injury in the 2022 SEC Championship slowed him during the playoff.
Jalen Carter is the No. 1 player on Kiper’s Big Board, his projected No. 1 overall pick, and, obviously, the No. 1 defensive tackle.
“I moved Carter to No. 1 overall in my December update, and he finished the season playing the best ball of his career,” Kiper writes. “He had 12 quarterback pressures in his last three games for the back-to-back national champs, showing that he can wreck games from the interior. Carter was fantastic after he returned in late October from missing two games because of a knee issue. Check out this show of force in the SEC title game against LSU. Georgia had five defenders picked in Round 1 last April, and Carter arguably was more disruptive than all of them in 2021. He’s explosive at the snap and finishes well around the ball, even though he has just six career sacks. Carter is in the conversation for the top pick — if the Bears keep it.”
Nolan Smith comes in at No. 5 among the outside linebackers. He was on pace for a career year before his season was derailed by a torn pectoral muscle. Kelee Ringo, after starting 28 games at Georgia over the past two seasons, comes in as Kiper’s No. 6 cornerback.
Christopher Smith is tabbed as the No. 6 safety. He spent five years at Georgia and exits as a permanent team captain. Jack Podlesny is No. 7 among the place-kickers.
