Georgia Football: Bulldogs up & down board of PFF College 101

Pro Football Focus released its list of the top 101 players in all of College Football from the 2022 season late last week, and eight Georgia players made the cut. Ranging from top-5 to the very last spot, Bulldogs were all over the board. Here’s who PFF included and what they had to say.

Jalen Carter – No. 2

PFF writes: There are not many players like Carter, who is one of the top defensive tackles we’ve ever seen in the PFF era. It’s rare to find an interior defender who is as dominant against both the run and the pass. He posted a 92.3 final PFF grade, which led the entire Power Five this season. Carter was the best player on college football’s best defense two years in a row.

Carter finished up his Georgia career by being named an unanimous All-American, one of just 13 in program history, totaling 32 tackles on the season including 7.0 for loss, all of which came in a five game stretch after returning to full strength from a few injuries that bothered him early in the year. As one of the most talented defenders in the entire country, there’s a chance Carter could go No. 1 overall in the NFL Draft come April.

Brock Bowers – No. 13

PFF writes: Bowers led all tight ends in the nation in receiving yards (942), yards after the catch (479) and yards after contact (274). The John Mackey Award winner was also second in contested catches and tied for fourth in missed tackles forced on receptions. Like Alt, Bowers was just a true sophomore.

There’s a case to be made that Bowers is the best player in all of College Football. Whether you believe that or not, he’s certainly a huge piece of what Georgia has done over the last two years – and will be again next year. Winner of the Mackey Award and a semifinalist for position awards for both receivers and linemen, there really aren’t many players as dynamic as Bowers. Todd Monken found different ways to use him to the tune of 72 touches, 1,051 total yards and 10 total touchdowns.

Stetson Bennett – No. 22

PFF writes: Bennett is one of the greatest underdog stories of all time. The former walk-on became the first starting quarterback to win multiple national championships since Alabama’s A.J. McCarron a decade ago. He’s more than just a game manager, as his 89.1 passing grade was sixth among Power Five quarterbacks. 

Bennett took the most snaps of any Bulldog and came in with the highest grade according to PFF. That’s impressive. Finishing the year with a career-high 398 passing yards in the Peach Bowl – his first of two College Football Playoff MVP performances – Bennett became the first Georgia player to throw for more than 4,000 yards in a single season.

Christopher Smith – No. 67

PFF writes: Smith has been a star in Georgia’s secondary for three years now. The senior is the only safety in the country boasting 85.0-plus grades in run defense and coverage since 2020. 

Like Carter, Smith was named an unanimous All-American joining a select group in program history. The Atlanta, Ga. native finished with a career-high 61 tackles including five for loss, a team-high three interceptions, both a forced fumble and a fumble recovery as well as one of the biggest highlights of the season – his 96-yard touchdown return on a blocked field goal in the SEC Championship Game vs. LSU.

Broderick Jones – No. 84

PFF writes: Jones was one of the best pass protectors in college football in 2022. The redshirt sophomore allowed pressure on only 2% of his pass-blocking snaps, the fifth-lowest rate among Power Five tackles. He didn’t let up a sack on 449 pass-blocking snaps.

Jones started all 15 games for Georgia at left tackle, stepping in after Jamaree Salyer departed for the NFL this time last year. Normally a switch at left tackle would make headlines. The way Jones handled things, it was far from on the front of Georgia fans’ minds in 2022.

Darnell Washington – No. 88

PFF writes: Brock Bowers is the star, but Washington was also a stud tight end for Georgia this season. At 6-foot-7 and 270 pounds, the junior was essentially a third offensive tackle for the offense. His 81.3 run-blocking grade ranked fifth among FBS tight ends this season. Washington’s 14 catches of 15-plus yards placed eighth among Power Five tight ends, as well.

Washington was banged up at the end of the season, but he still managed to be a major contributor. Battling through an ankle injury in the National Championship Game, Washington played only one snap less than his season average. He caught a pass for 28 yards that set up the final score of Stetson Bennett’s career. It was the fourth straight game he caught a pass as a part of a career-best season with 28 catches, 454 yards and two touchdowns. Those single-season totals topped his combined totals of the two previous years, his career up to that point.

Javon Bullard – No. 94

PFF writes: Bullard can sometimes blend in on Georgia’s talented defense, but he still deserves his fair share of credit for the unit’s success this year. He recorded 46 total tackles, two interceptions and even four sacks on the season. Bullard also finished with an 80.4 coverage grade.

Bullard earned MVP honors in both of the College Football Playoff games this season for Georgia to cap off an outstanding sophomore season. Settling into a starting spot at STAR, Bullard totaled 46 tackles in 2022 including seven for loss. Half of those were sacks including a pair in the big home victory over Tennessee – plus another in the Peach Bowl versus Ohio State. Bullard had two interceptions on the season, both of which came in the National Championship Game against TCU. He also recovered a fumble in the first half to have a hand in all three forced turnovers in the win over the Horned Frogs.

Ladd McConkey – No. 101

PFF writes: Ladd did a little bit of everything for Georgia in 2022, getting involved in the run game and on special teams as a punt returner. He racked up 1,093 all-purpose yards with nine total touchdowns. The sophomore receiver knows how to get open and is as shifty as they come. Ladd capped off a terrific season with two touchdown receptions in the national championship game.

McConkey finished second on the team in receiving – first among wide receivers – and announced his return for 2023. He caught 58 passes for 762 yards and a team-high-tying seven touchdowns while also adding two scores on the ground rushing.