FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Jamaree Salyer has a chance this week to help push Georgia into the College Football Playoff Championship game. He also has the chance to rocket up NFL draft boards.
In Friday’s Orange Bowl, the Bulldogs’ left tackle will meet eye-to-eye with college football’s Heisman Trophy runner-up: Aidan Hutchinson. Michigan’s sack machine has been terrorizing offensive lines all season. With 14 sacks to his name, Hutchinson is looking at the possibility of a top-three pick in the 2022 NFL draft.
On the other side, you have Salyer — a three-year starter on the offensive line — looking at an opportunity to prove himself against an elite NFL talent, in front of NFL teams.
“Obviously a lot of scouts are going to watch the matchups,” Salyer said. “I like to compete. If they say a guy is the best, I want to play against the best. … That’s what you play in the SEC for; that’s what you come to Georgia for.”
Even when Hutchinson lines up on the opposite side against Warren McClendon, Salyer won’t be earning himself a break. Opposite of Hutchinson is another possible first-round talent with double-digit sacks, David Ojabo.
It’s a pass-rushing duo that will keep opponents up at night. With 25 sacks between the two, it’s hard not to have them on your mind, and they’re certainly on Smart’s.
“Regardless of the talent they have, the strain, the desire, the want-to leaks through on the film,” Smart said about the two. “That doesn’t come from a star that was given to you out of high school. That doesn’t come from a reputation you got. That comes from within.”
Smart isn’t the only person with this takeaway. When he talks to other coaches, they give him the same feedback.
“You talk to people that have played them, it’s one of the first things they talk about,” Smart said. “You can tell they push each other. They go against a really good offensive line every day in practice, so those guys are really good competitors, and they’re a huge challenge for our offensive line.
On their own, either could be Salyer’s toughest assignment all season — dealing with both is a monster of its own. Thankfully for Salyer, Georgia has its own cast of talented defenders, a group that Salyer sees often.
“I haven’t seen Aidan Hutchinson one time, but I have been taking reps against him every single day,” Salyer said. “That’s what you come to Georgia for, you get to play against the best every single day.”
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