ATHENS — With the 2024 college football season officially in the books, NFL draft season is fully here.
ESPN analyst Mel Kiper Jr. debuted his first mock draft of the the year Wednesday.
As has been the case for most recent years, Georgia is well-represented in the first round. Kiper has three Bulldogs projected in the first round, with all of them coming off the board in the first 13 picks.
Kiper has defensive end Mykel Williams going first among the Georgia players, with the edge rusher going to the New York Jets with the seventh pick.
“I’m getting the sense that Williams will get drafted higher than most expect — he’s No. 12 on my board — and he could give New York more presence off the edge,” Kiper wrote. “He needs coaching (Aaron Glenn would be great for his development if the Jets hire him) and has room to grow with his pass-rush technique. But I see the potential for 10-12 sacks per season here.”
Next off the board was Jalon Walker, going one pick later to the Carolina Panthers with the No. 8 overall pick.
Walker, a native of Salisbury, North Carolina, led Georgia in sacks in each of the past two seasons as well.
“Walker is versatile, and he can line up as a traditional off-ball linebacker or edge rusher,” Kiper said. “His game is all about speed-to-power, and no matter where you put him, he can get into the backfield to blow up plays.”
The third Bulldog projected off the board is safety Malaki Starks. Safety isn’t always a position teams will use a first-round pick on, as only three have been taken in the previous five first rounds.
That Starks, a three-year starter and two-time All-American for the Bulldogs, went to the Miami Dolphins with the No. 13 overall pick speaks to his strength as a prospect.
“No college defense has ever had three players go this early in the same year, per ESPN Research, but Starks could join the early run on Bulldogs,” Kiper said. “He closes well and makes plays on the ball. With 67 tackles this season, he works well in space. And he’s versatile, lining up as a traditional safety and over the slot.”
No program has had more players drafted over the past five years than the 48 from Georgia. Kiper has four Michigan players going in the first round, as the Wolverines are the only school with better representation in the mock draft than Georgia in the first round.
Williams, Walker and Starks won’t be the only Bulldogs drafted, as Georgia likely will have close to double-digit players taken once again in the NFL draft. Georgia still holds the record for most players taken in a single NFL draft with 15, which came in 2023.
The 2025 draft, which will take place in Green Bay, Wisconsin, is set to begin April 24.
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