Bulldogs’, Jackets’ NFL chances not hobbled by injuries

A shoulder. A foot. A couple of hamstrings.

Those are a few of the injuries that might have cost productive players from Georgia and Georgia Tech a few spots in last weekend’s NFL draft, or from being selected at all.

Georgia Tech offensive tackle Andrew Gardner (shoulder), an All-ACC performer, was selected by Miami in the sixth round. Teammate Darryl Richard (hamstring), second-team All-ACC, was selected by New England in the seventh.

Other players, such as Georgia fullback Brannan Southerland (foot) and Georgia Tech defensive back Jahi Word-Daniels (hamstring), went undrafted and signed free-agent deals.

The players expressed disappointment that they weren’t drafted higher, and said their injuries likely influenced teams’ decisions. But Gardner summed up the collective excitement of playing in the NFL best as each player was busy preparing for Thursday’s and Friday’s various rookie camps:

“I think I’m where I’m supposed to be,” he said.

Gardner’s injury may have been the most unfortunate. With prototypical height (6-feet-7) and weight (304) for a tackle, made 48 consecutive starts until tearing the labrum in his left shoulder in October. He still ran a 4.96 in the 40 at Tech’s pro day (which would have been one of the fastest times for a tackle at the combine), but was unable to bench press, an important conditioning test for teams.

The Dolphins are seemingly set at the tackles with Jake Long and Vernon Carey, which may force Gardner and his medically cleared shoulder to move to guard.

“I’m willing to play wherever they want,” Gardner said. “Pulling, trapping … I feel I have the speed to do that.”

Hamstrings may have affected Richard and Word-Daniels. Richard, who is 6-4, 290, had stats similar to two defensive tackles also selected by the Patriots, with four sacks and 34 tackles last season, but he tweaked his right hamstring before the East-West All-Star game in January. He tried to gut through it at the NFL Combine, as well as at Tech’s pro day, but he said it affected his times in the various drills.

“I never had an opportunity to show, in shorts, what I can do,” Richard said.

New England coach Bill Belichick drafted two other defensive tackles — Boston College’s Ron Brace in the second round, and Kentucky’s Myron Pryor in the sixth — before he selected Richard. But Richard, like Gardner, said that that he will do whatever it takes to get on the field.

“Football is my dream,” Richard said, “it’s what I want to do.”

Southerland was rated the second-best fullback prospect before the draft, despite missing four games last year because of two broken bones in his foot. He said he has been cleared to play. Still, he went undrafted and signed a free-agent deal with the New York Jets on Tuesday. He will back up Tony Richardson, a 15-year veteran who was also an undrafted free agent.

“I just want to go up there and show everything I can do,” Southerland said. “I’m very excited.”