Georgia’s Trevor Etienne electric at NFL Scouting Combine; receivers attack pass drop concerns

Etienne had an even stronger 10-yard split, showcasing his short-term explosiveness and quickness. The Florida native tied for the second-best 10-yard split in his position group at 1.51 seconds.

He also had the seventh-best broad jump at 10 feet and 4 inches, and had a less-competitive vertical of 33 inches.

Etienne led Georgia with nine touchdowns last season, rushing for 609 yards on 122 carries. He only spent one year in Athens after transferring from Florida, where he played his first two seasons.

Etienne surprised fans and some experts with his decision to leave early for the NFL. Senior Bowl executive director Jim Nagy had to create an extra spot for Etienne after he made the last-minute decision to turn pro.

“I talked with my family and we felt like the best decision for me was to move forward and take this step,” Etienne said at the Senior Bowl in January. “It was a challenging decision, but it’s always been my dream to be competing at the highest level.”

Speedy receivers Arian Smith and Dominic Lovett shined in drills too. Both receivers faced questions about UGA’s dropped passes last season, and both did well to silence concerns on Saturday.

Lovett and Smith both passed the gauntlet -- testing a receiver’s ability to catch bullet passes on the run -- with no drops.

Smith and Lovett also ran competitive 40-yard dash times, but the rest of their tests stood out less among the position group.

Smith ran a 4.36 -- lower than some experts expected the former elite track runner to finish -- but still finished fifth among all receivers. He will leave Indianapolis with the 10th-fastest 40 time of the week.

Lovett’s best score was likely his 40 time, too, at 4.40 seconds. The former Missouri transfer’s other test numbers fell to the middle of the pack.

Lovett spoke to reporters about the do-it-all mentality he learned at Georgia, an important pitch to offer NFL teams as he is trying to avoid going undrafted.

“Honestly? Don’t be no prima donna,” Lovett said on Friday. “Kirby (Smart) is kind of old-school, he likes the tough guy, he likes smashmouth football, so he wants the guy that’s going to block when they don’t have the ball.

“He wants the guy who’s going to dig out the safety, and he wants guys on special teams.”

Four more Bulldogs will test on Sunday to close the combine. Jared Wilson, Tate Ratledge, Dylan Fairchild and Xavier Truss will start drills and testing at 1 p.m.

Arian Smith testing results and measurements

Trevor Etienne testing results and measurements

Dominic Lovett testing results and measurements