Georgia football and the NFL Draft: Just how exceptional was the Bulldogs’ 2021 defense?

KANSAS CITY, MO - APRIL 27: Georgia defensive lineman Jalen Carter holds a jersey with commissioner Roger Goodell after being draft in the first round of the NFL Draft on April 27, 2023 at Union Station in Kansas City, MO. (Photo by Scott Winters/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
By Seth Emerson
Apr 30, 2023

ATHENS, Ga. — There is now another major data point to show just how exceptional was the 2021 Georgia defense. And it’s not just about the Philadelphia Eagles.

There are 14 members of that 2021 Georgia defense who have been drafted, half of them in the first round.

Only one player who started the National Championship Game against Alabama in 2021 was not drafted, while four players who came off the bench in that game have been drafted … so far. Emphasis on so far.

Where the starters ended up going:

The only starter undrafted was William Poole, a nickel back who left the team early in the 2022 season.

Meanwhile, four backups — a misleading term in some of those cases — have been drafted. The most notable is Jalen Carter, who got significant snaps in 2021 and became the starter the next year. Two of the others — Channing Tindall and Robert Beal — were basically starters who didn’t happen to be on the field for the opening play of the game. (Tindall shared time with Quay Walker, Beal was the second outside linebacker after Smith.)

Nolan Smith was the fourth member of the 2021 Georgia defense to be drafted by Philadelphia in the past two years. (Trevor Ruszkowski / USA Today)

But another was a pure backup: cornerback Ameer Speed, who began the 2021 season as the starter before being supplanted by Ringo. After the season Speed, who saw action on special teams in the national championship, transferred to Michigan State, and on Saturday, he was selected in the seventh round.

The full list of backups:

  • DT Jalen Carter: first round, 2023
  • ILB Channing Tindall: third round, 2022
  • OLB Robert Beal: fifth round, 2023
  • DB Ameer Speed: seventh round, 2023
go-deeper

GO DEEPER

Are the Eagles reassembling Georgia's all-time defense? 2 more Bulldogs headed north

As much as that is already, the story may not be done. At least technically: Seven more Georgia defensive players who appeared in that National Championship Game against Alabama are still playing college football. Almost all their snaps in that game were on special teams, but they did get snaps during the season in blowouts. Those seven are:

Three other defensive linemen got playing time that season: Tramel Walthour, Warren Brunson and Nazir Stackhouse. So did outside linebacker Chaz Chambliss, inside linebacker Trezmen Marshall (now at Alabama) and others. Latavious Brini, who started most of the season at nickel back, spent last season at Arkansas and was undrafted.

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There’s another player whose uncomfortable situation has to be mentioned: Adam Anderson, who was leading the 2021 team in sacks before his November arrest on felony rape charges. Anderson is awaiting trial while continuing to profess his innocence.

It wasn’t all about Georgia’s defense: Ten members of Georgia’s offense on that 2021 team have been drafted, along with punter Jake Camarda. The offense still has several key players with a chance to be drafted: tight end Brock Bowers, center Sedrick Van Pran-Granger and receivers Ladd McConkey and Marcus Rosemy-Jacksaint, along with receiver AD Mitchell, now at Texas.

Add it all together, and of the 54 Georgia players who appeared on the participation report for that national championship, almost half (25) have been drafted, and eventually, the number could approach 40.

Another testament to recruiting and development, especially on defense.

(Top photo of Jalen Carter, left, and Roger Goodell: Scott Winters / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

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Seth Emerson

Seth Emerson is a senior writer for The Athletic covering Georgia and the SEC. Seth joined The Athletic in 2018 from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, and also covered the Bulldogs and the SEC for The Albany Herald from 2002-05. Seth also covered South Carolina for The State from 2005-10. Follow Seth on Twitter @SethWEmerson