Dawgs in the NFL: 52 former Georgia players on NFL rosters to begin season.

The National Football League will kick off its 2022 season on Thursday and when that happens, 52 former Georgia players will be present on rosters. According to a release from UGA Sports Information, the Bulldogs will have at least one active player at every position in the NFL.

That group of 52 UGA players in the league includes one quarterback, six running backs, five tight ends, five wideouts, eight offensive linemen, five defensive linemen, seven outside linebackers, five inside linebacker, seven defensive backs, and one kicker, punter, and long snapper.

A total of 43 of those Bulldogs played for Kirby Smart including 36 who’ll find themselves on active rosters. Of the nine former Georgia players who aren’t on active rosters, six are on injured reserve and three are on practice squads.

The list of Ex-UGA players on injured reserve includes Atlanta tight end John FitzPatrick, Cincinnati running back Elijah Holyfield, Las Vegas outside linebacker Jordan Jenkins, Las Vegas safety J.R. Reed, Tennessee inside linebacker Monty Rice, and Washington tight end Eli Wolf. The practice squad group is made up of Houston wide receiver Chris Conley, Atlanta offensive guard Justin Shaffer, and and Los Angeles Chargers defensive back Mark Webb.

Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford, who is coming off a Super Bowl Championship in 2021, is the lone UGA quarterback in the league. The active running-back group is made up of Nick Chubb (Cleveland), James Cook (Buffalo), Sony Michel (Chargers), D’Andre Swift (Detroit), and Zamir White (Las Vegas).

Former Georgia receivers in the league are A.J. Green (Arizona), Mecole Hardman (Kansas City), Isaiah McKenzie (Buffalo), and George Pickens (Pittsburgh) and the tight end group includes Lawrence Cager (New York Jets), Tre’ McKitty (Chargers), and Charlie Woerner (San Francisco).

The group ex-UGA offensive linemen on active rosters includes New England center David Andrews, Baltimore offensive guard Ben Cleveland, Tennessee center Ben Jones, Chargers guard Jamaree Salyer, New York Giants tackle Andrew Thomas, and New England tackle Isaiah Wilson. On the other side of the ball, the Bulldogs have Jordan Davis (Philadelphia), Malik Herring (Kansas City), John Jenkins (Miami), Jonathan Ledbetter (Arizona), and Devonte Wyatt (Green Bay) on the defensive line.

The active outside linebackers are Lorenzo Carter (Atlanta), Leonard Floyd (Rams), Justin Houston (Baltimore), Azeez Ojulari (Giants), Channing Tindall (Miami), and Travon Walker (Jacksonville), the No. 1 overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft. The Georgia inside linebacker group includes Tae Crowder (Giants), Nakobe Dean (Philadelphia), Roquan Smith (Chicago), and Quay Walker (Green Bay).

The active defensive back group is made up of Jacksonville cornerback Tyson Campbell, Minnesota safety Lewis Cine, Rams cornerback Derion Kendrick, Cleveland safety Richard LeCounte III, and Green Bay cornerback Eric Stokes. Bulldog specialists in the NFL include Indianapolis place-kicker Rodrigo Blankenship, Tampa Bay punter Jake Camarda, and Baltimore long snapper Nick Moore.

Of the 272 regular season games scheduled to be played in the NFL this season, former Georgia players are set to appear in 262 of those. That’s a percentage of 96.3.

UGA also has three former players who’ll serve as coaches in the league in Rams assistant head coach and tight ends coach Thomas Brown, Rams assistant offensive line coach Nick Jones, and Jacksonville inside linebackers coach Tony Gilbert. The Bulldogs will also have several former assistant coaches or support staffs coaching in the NFL. That group includes Doug Marrone (Saints), Tracy Rocker (Philadelphia), Robert Saleh (Jets head coach), Joe Danna (Houston), Mike Macdonald (Baltimore), Kirk Olivadotti (Green Bay), Wendel Davis (Green Bay), and George Edwards (Dallas).