Cover 9@9: Travis Hunter to head list of Georgia connections at NFL Scouting Combine

Last season, former Georgia tight end Brock Bowers led the contingent of 35 players who either played in-state or played in high school in Georgia.

Of the 41 players invited this season, 32 played at high schools in Georgia. Fourteen former Georgia Bulldogs were invited. Georgia Tech had two players invited.

In 2023, there also were 41 NFL draft prospects with Georgia connections invited to the combine with linebacker Will Anderson (Dutchtown/Alabama) and running back Jahmyr Gibbs (Dalton High, Georgia Tech/Alabama) as the top prospects.

Here’s a list of the players from Georgia high schools (who didn’t play at UGA) who were invited to participate in the scouting combine:

Name, height, weight, position, high school, college(s)

Georgia high schools

-Max Brosmer, 6-foot-2, 225 pounds, QB, Centennial High, Minnesota

-Phil Mafah, 6-1, 230, RB, Grayson, Clemson

-Jo’Quavious “Woody” Marks, 5-10, 215, RB, Carver-Atlanta, Mississippi State/USC

-Isaiah Bond, 5-11, 181, WR, Buford, Alabama/Texas

-Sam Brown Jr., 6-2, 195, WR, New Hampstead High, West Virginia/Houston/Miami

-Kobe Hudson, 6-1, 200, WR, Troup County, Auburn/Central Florida

-Konata Mumpfield, 6-1, 185, WR, Dacula, Akron/Pittsburgh

-Jalen Royals, 6-0, 205, WR, Hillgrove, Georgia Military/Utah State

-Ricky White III, 6-1, 190, WR, Marietta, Michigan State/Nevada-Las Vegas

-Myles Hinton, 6-6, 342, OL, Greater Atlanta Christian, Stanford/Michigan

-Seth McLaughlin, 6-4, 305, OL, Buford, Alabama/Ohio State

-Jared Ivey, Edge, 6-5, 5/8, 283, DE, North Gwinnett, Georgia Tech/Ole Miss

-Kyle Kennard, 6-3¾, 248, DE, Riverwood, Georgia Tech/South Carolina

-Steve Linton, 6-5, 237, DE, Dublin, Baylor/Syracuse/Texas Tech

-Kaimon Rucker, 6-2, 265, DE, Hart County, North Carolina

-Bradyn Swinson, 6-4, 250, DE, Chapel Hill, LSU/Oregon

-Barrett Carter, 6-1, 230, LB, North Gwinnett, Clemson

-Demetrius Knight Jr., 6-2, 245, LB, Locust Grove, Charlotte/Georgia Tech/South Carolina

-Chris Paul Jr., 6-1, 235, LB, Crisp County, Arkansas/Mississippi

-Brandon “BJ” Adams, 6-1⅜, 186, CB, Arabia Mountain, Central Florida

-Zah Frazier, 6-3, 185, CB, Cedartown, Coffeyville/Texas-San Antonio

-Jordan Hancock, 6-1, 195, CB, North Gwinnett, Ohio State

-Travis Hunter, 6-1, 185, CB, Collins Hill, Jackson State/Colorado

-Alijah Huzzie, 5-10, 195, CB, Heard County, East Tennessee State/North Carolina

-Ryan Fitzgerald, 5-11⅝, 195, K, Florida State

Credit: Christina Matacotta

Credit: Christina Matacotta

GEORGIA TECH

-Jackson Hawes, 6-4, 252, TE

-Zeek Biggers, 6-4, 325, DT

GEORGIA

-Trevor Etienne, 5-8, 202, RB

-Arian Smith, 6-0, 185, WR

-Smael Mondon Jr., 6-2, 3/8, 229, LB, Paulding County HS

-Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins, 6-4, 276, DE

-Tate Ratledge, 6-6, 320, G, Darlington School

-Jared Wilson, 6-3-210, C

-Mykel Williams, 6-5. 265, DE, Hardaway

-Malaki Starks, 6-1, 205, S, Jefferson

-Jalon Walker, 6-2, 245, LB

-Nazir Stackhouse, 6-3, 320, DT, Columbia

-Dominic Lovett, 5-10, 187, WR

-Dylan Fairchild, 6-5, 315, OL, West Forsyth

-Warren Brinson, 6-4, 305, DT, Savannah Christian/IMG Academy (Fla.)

-Xavier Truss, 6-7, 320, OT

2. For the combine fans

Here’s all the info you’ll need to set your recording devices for the scouting combine.

The first on-field drills will start on Thursday, with defensive linemen and linebackers. NFL Network will have live coverage that will continue with the defensive backs and tight ends Feb. 28, quarterbacks, wide receivers and running backs March 1, and offensive linemen March 2.

Coverage of workouts begins at 3 p.m. Thursday and Friday, and at 1 p.m. Saturday and Sunday on NFL Network and NFL-Plus.

3. For the Falcons fans

General manager Terry Fontenot and coach Raheem Morris are set to address the media Tuesday.

Hopefully, they have some answers on some of the pressing offseason issues like how they plan to manage the Kirk Cousins’ situation (everyone knows he’s not going to be a backup and that his contract is untradeable), what veterans they plan to keep, how many contracts they have to restructure to get under the salary cap, will they draft any players from Georgia, what they will do differently to not run afoul of tampering rules this free-agency period and how they plan to stop the string of seven consecutive losing seasons.

The HBCU combine was held Monday in New Orleans. Our guy Steve Wyche of NFL Network tweeted that all 32 teams were present. The Chiefs (Joshua Williams, Fayetteville State), Brian Cook (Howard/Cincinnati) and Rams (Cobie Durant, S.C. State) and Packers (Emmanuel Wilson, RB, Fort Valley State) recently found players from the HBCU ranks.

The Falcons had wide receiver KhaDarel Hodge (Prairie View A&M), tackle Brandon Parker (N.C. A&T) and cornerback Antonio Hamilton (S.C. State) last season.

4. Mock draft

Mock season is upon us. Mocks before the combine are not as valuable as those after the combine. We plan to do a pre-combine mock for the first time. We’ll likely tear it up after the combine. But remember, we had the Falcons taking Michael Penix Jr. last season, but moved off the pick for a pass rusher.

Our buddy Geoff Hobson from Bengals.com called me for his first mock draft. I selected Marshall edge rusher Mike Green, who led the nation with 17 sacks and was named an All-American last season.

Green, who’s 6-foot-3 and 251 pounds, played six games as a freshman at Virginia and had a sack in 2021. After a coaching change, he did not play in any games in 2022. A native of Williamsburg, Virginia, Green jumped in the transfer portal and ended up at Marshall.

In 2023, he played 13 games and finished with 4.5 sacks.

The Falcons have had trouble rushing the passer for most of the past decade. They finished 31st of 32 teams in sacks last season, with 31.

5. Combine history

Back in 2020, 32 players with Georgia connections (26 from Georgia high schools, six from Georgia colleges) were invited to the combine.

That number was up from the 25 players who were invited in 2019.

Georgia had 10 players invited. In 2018, UGA had 12 led by Nick Chubb and Sony Michel.

In 2016, a total of 26 players with Georgia ties competed at the combine. In 2015, there were 37. In 2014, 23 players and in 2013, 29 and in 2012, there were 26.

There also were more than 30 players (31) in 2011.

Georgia offensive tackle Andrew Thomas, a potential top-10 NFL draft pick, headed up the list of former Bulldogs on the list of 337 players who were invited in 2020.

6. Combine flashback

Here’s A.J. Terrell’s combine bio before the 2020 combine:

“Today, we’ll look at Clemson cornerback A.J. Terrell:

A.J. Terrell, 6-1, 190, CB, Westlake HS, Clemson. In two years as a starter, he helped Clemson to a 29-1 record. He finished with 107 career tackles, 20 pass breakups, six interceptions and forced two fumbles over 1,827 snaps in 44 games (30 starts). He scored the first points of the College Football Playoff Championship game on a pick-six against Alabama in 2019. He is projected to be a NFL starter. He was selected as the Class AAAAAAA player of the year in Georgia by the Coaches Association. He was named first-team all-state by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution in 2016.”

7. Congrats to the old-school trainers

Back in the good ol’ days covering the NFL, you just went in the trainer’s room, look at the posted injury report and you wrote down the player’s name and the injury.

You could then ask the trainer any questions that you might have and when the team expected the player to return.

Now, the paranoid coaches have hijacked the injury report and are not medically qualified to give the injury report.

Recently, the Pro Football Hall of Fame, as part of its annual Awards of Excellence program made its choices for the Class of 2025.

Former NFL athletic trainers Ed Block, Pepper Burruss and John Norwig will be honored in the Awards of Excellence’s fourth class. Their selection brings to 14 the number in the Athletic Trainers category.

Burruss was awesome when I covered the Packers. We had clear and accurate injury information from the medical expert, not the coach trying to gain a phantom advantage in the upcoming game.

A dinner and awards luncheon to celebrate the careers of Block, Burruss and Norwig will take place in Canton on June 25-26.

Before joining the old Baltimore Colts as head athletic trainer in 1954, Block earned a Purple Heart for his service and bravery while serving under Gen. George S. Patton. In 1974, he was inducted into the National Athletic Trainers’ Association (NATA) Hall of Fame. (Do you want your injury report from Block or from the Ol’ Ball Coach?)

Burruss, who had a 42-year NFL career, began with the New York Jets in 1977 as an assistant athletic trainer. During his 16 seasons with the Jets, he played a key role in the emergency care of player Dennis Byrd, contributing to his miraculous recovery from a spinal injury.

In 1993, Burruss joined the Packers as head athletic trainer, modernizing the team’s medical operations.

Norwig dedicated 43 years to athletic training, including 32 years as head athletic trainer for the Steelers.

The Pro Football Hall of Fame established the Awards of Excellence in 2022 to recognize significant contributors to the game in “behind-the-scenes” roles. The program honors career assistant coaches, athletic trainers, equipment managers and film/video directors and public relations directors.

8. Important offseason dates for the Falcons

Here’s what the offseason calendar looks like for the Falcons:

Tuesday: Beginning Tuesday through 4 p.m. March 4, clubs may designate Franchise or Transition Players. (Falcons don’t have any legit candidates. They are over the cap. Center Drew Dalman, getting the left tackle bounce, would get the offensive lineman tag of $25.13 million. There have not been any talks with outside linebacker Matthew Judon.)

Feb. 24-March 3: NFL Scouting Combine, Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, Indiana.

March 4: Before 4 p.m., deadline for clubs to designate Franchise or Transition Players.

March 10-12: Free-agent negotiation period.

March 12: The 2025 league year and trading and free agency signing period begins at 4 p.m.

March 30-April 2: Annual league meeting, Palm Beach, Florida.

April 16: Deadline for clubs to time, test, visit, interview or conduct a physical examination with a draft-eligible player at its team facility.

April 21: Clubs with returning head coaches may begin offseason workout programs.

April 24-26: NFL draft. Green Bay, Wisconsin.

May 1: Deadline for fifth-year options for players selected in the first round of the 2020 draft. (such as Drake London, Falcons)

May 2-5 or May 9-12: Teams can hold one three-day post-draft rookie minicamp on one of two weekends following the draft.

June: Mandatory minicamp

Late July: Start of training camp

9. Falcons opponents for 2025 season

The Falcons’ opponents for the 2025 season are set.

The Falcons will play all teams from the NFC West and the AFC East.

Here are the home opponents: Carolina, New Orleans, Tampa Bay, Los Angeles Rams, Seattle, Bills, Dolphins and Washington.

The away opponents: Carolina, New Orleans, Tampa Bay, Arizona, New England, New York Jets, San Francisco, Minnesota and Indianapolis.