28 players with Georgia connections invited to 2017 NFL combine

Tennessee quarterback Joshua Dobbs throws during warm ups before a game against Missouri in Knoxville in this Nov. 22, 2014, file photo. Photo by Associated Press /Times Free Press.

Credit: D. Orlando Ledbetter

Credit: D. Orlando Ledbetter

Tennessee quarterback Joshua Dobbs throws during warm ups before a game against Missouri in Knoxville in this Nov. 22, 2014, file photo. Photo by Associated Press /Times Free Press.

FLOWERY BRANCH -- There were 28 players with Georgia connections invited to the NFL scouting combine, including two intriguing quarterback prospects in Clemson's Deshaun Watson and Tennessee's Joshua Dobbs.

Georgia and Georgia Tech each had only one player invited in wide receiver Isaiah McKenzie and kicker  Harrison Butker.

However, two other players, Louisville safety Josh Harvey-Clemons and Lamar cornerback Brendan Langley, started their careers at Georgia before transferring. Also, Oklahoma State running back Chris Carson backed off his Georgia commitment because he didn't want to compete with Nick Chubb for playing time.

The combine is set to Tuesday and run through Monday, March 6 at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.

The NFL's top executives, coaching staffs, player personnel departments and medical personnel will be on hand to evaluate the nation’s top college football players eligible for the upcoming NFL Draft. The players will undergo an intense four-day job interview, which includes various athletic testing including weight lifting and the 40-yard dash.

(Thanks to Alex Martin Smith, SEC reporter for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and SECCountry.com for assisting with this project and helping to look up all the hometowns of the 330 players. For some reason, the combine folks just list the schools without the hometowns.)

Here are players with Georgia connections, who have been invited to the combine:

Montravius Adams: Auburn defensive lineman from Vienna (Dooly County High School) was a 2012 AJC Super 11 selection.

Erik Austell, Charleston Southern, 6-4, 285, OL, Central Fellowship Christian Academy in Macon. Was born Warner Robins. Graduated with a Criminal Justice Degree in May of 2016. Currently pursuing a Master's Degree in Organizational Management. He started 10 games and graded out at 91.4% in the 2016 season. He led the Bucs with 84 knockdown blocks. He was a part of an offensive line that powered the nation's sixth-best rushing attack and amassed 500-plus yards of offense in four games. NFLDraftScout.com has Russell ranked as the 25th best guard in the draft.

Harrison Butker: Georgia Tech's kicker from Decatur played at Westminster. His longest kick made in college was 53 yards. He finished his college career with a 71.7% field-goal percentage.

Chris Carson, Oklahoma State, 6-1, 215, RB, Parkview, Lilburn. Originally signed with Georgia out of high school, but ended up at Butler (Kan.) Community College. Carson earned a reputation as a powerful runner during his two seasons on the OSU roster, leading the team in yards and carries as a junior then playing a prominent role as a punishing runner in last season's offense. Despite missing some time due to injury, Carson finished his senior season with a team-best nine rushing touchdowns, gaining 559 yards on 82 carries for an average of 6.8 yards per carry.

Jarrad Davis, Florida, 6-2, 238, LB, Camden County, Kingsland. He started 22 of 35 games over his career for the Gators. He had 145 tackles, 14 tackles for losses and two forced fumbles over his career. He played in college for legendary coach Jeff Herron, who recently left Grayson to take a college job at South Carolina. NFLDraftScout.com has Davis rated as the third highest inside linebacker and projects that he'll be selected in the second round.

Robert Davis: Georgia State wide receiver (three-time All-Sun Belt Conference selection) is from Warner Robins and played high school football at Northside-Warner Robins.

Joshua Dobbs, Tennessee, 6-3, 210, QB, Alpharetta. Could he be this year's Dak Prescott? Over 37 games, Dobbs completed 614 of 999 passes for 7,138 yards. He also rushed for 2,160 yards and 32 touchdowns as he led a Rocky Top revival. Finished Tennessee career with a 23-12 record (including 3-0 in bowls) as starting quarterback, tying Condredge Holloway (1972-74) for the fifth-most wins by starting quarterback. Set school record for career rushing yards by a quarterback (2,160), career rushing touchdowns by a QB (32), single-season rushing yards by a quarterback (831 in 2016) and single-season rushing touchdowns by a QB (12 in 2016). NFLDraftScout has Dobbs rated as the 10th best quarterback in the draft and are projected that he'll be drafted in the seventh round.

Dylan Donahue, DE, West Georgia, 6-3, 240. He finished third on the team in total tackles with 67. He also had 20 tackles for loss and 13.5 sacks, which was a single season Gulf South Conference sack record.

Evan Engram: Mississippi wide receiver is from Powder Springs. He played at Hillgrove High School.

Amba Etta-Tawo, Syracuse, 6-2, 202, WR, McEachern High. Played one year for the Orange as a graduate transfer from Maryland, where he spent four seasons including one as a redshirt. He set 10 Syracuse receiving records and was named to four All-American teams. Etta-Tawo had 94 catches, while his 1,482 yards and 123.5 yards per game were both second in the ACC single-season history to Torry Holt's marks of 1,604 yards and 145.8 yards per game for N.C. State in 1998.  NFLDraftScout.com has Etta-Tawo rated as the 26th best wide receiver in the draft and projects him to be drafted in the sixth round.

Gerald Everett, South Alabama, 6-4, 227, TE, Columbia High. He caught 49 passes for 717 yards and four touchdowns last season. He did not play football at Columbia until his senior year, but was a three-year varsity basketball player in high school and also was member of track and field team. NFLDraftScout.com has Everett rated as the fifth best tight end in the draft and projects that he'll be selected in the second or third round.

Wayne Gallman, Clemson, 6-0, 210, RB, Grayson High, Loganville. Left Clemson after three seasons as one of the school's most decorated and productive running backs in history.. He rushed for 3,429 rushing yards on 676 carries, with 34 touchdowns over 42 games (37 starts). He added 65 career receptions for 473 yards and two touchdowns. He rushed for  100 yards or more in 17 games and the Tigers were 17-0 in those games. He finished his career third in Clemson history in rushing touchdowns and fifth in rushing yards. NFLDraftScout.com has Gallman rated as the eight best running back in the draft and projects that he'll be selected in the third or fourth round.

Antonio Garcia, Troy, 6-7, 302, OL, Charles Drew High, Atlanta. Started 12 of 13 games last season. Played 44 games over his career, mostly at left tackle. A first team All-Sun Belt selection, Garcia did not allow a sack in over 900 offensive snaps. He also recorded over 70 knockdown blocks and allowed pressures on just 1.8 percent of pass plays. Garcia was particularly strong against CFP National Champion Clemson where he graded out at 90 percent with six knockdowns as the Trojans came within six points, 30-24, of knocking off the Tigers in September. NFLDraftScout.com rates Garcia as the sixth best tackle in the draft and projects that he'll be selected in the second or third round of the draft.

Josh Harvey-Clemons, Louisville, 6-5, 228, S, Lowndes High, Valdosta. The former 5-starrecruit started his career at Georgia. He started 11 games as a sophomore and played in 14 games as a freshman. He was dismissed from the program while in the midst of a four-game suspension for a second violation of UGA's marijuana-use policy. A third offense called for "permanent suspension and scholarship termination," according to the athletic association's student-athlete handbook. He was all-ACC honorable mention as a junior at Louisville after sitting out a season due to his transfer. He played in 10 games as a senior and had 61 tackles and two pass breakups. He was named to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution Super 11. NFLDraftScout.com has him ranked as the eighth best safety in the draft and projects that he'll be drafted in the fifth or sixth round.

Johnathan "Bug" Howard, North Carolina, 6-5, 210, WR, Wilcox County, Rochelle.  Howard had his best season in 2016 with 53 receptions for 827 yards and a team-best eight touchdown catches.  He was an honorable-mention All-ACC pick and had a stretch of three 100-yard receiving games in wins over Miami, Virginia Tech and Georgia Tech. He was a Class A all-state selection by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and was named the AJC's Offensive Class A Player of the Year. NFLDraftScout.com had him rated as the 52nd best wide receiver in the draft and projects that he'll be an undrafted free agent.

Alvin Kamara: Tennessee running back from Norcross also played at Alabama and Hutchinson (Kansas) Community College.

Brandan Langley, Lamar, 6-2, 193, CB, Kell High, Marietta. He was an first-team All-Southland Conference defensive back and punt return specialist. Played in 33 games during his career and made 14 starts for Lamar. He made 43 tackles, including 28 unassisted, and forced a fumble. He led the Southland Conference and finished tied for fifth nationally with is six interceptions (0.5 interceptions per game. After starting four games as a freshman at Georgia, he feel out of favor and was moved to offense before deciding to transfer.

Carl Lawson: Auburn defensive line man from Alpharetta (Milton High School) was among the Tigers' career sack leaders with 14.0 in 33 games.

Jeremiah Ledbetter: Arkansas defensive lineman played at Gainesville High School. He is the son of former Oklahoma  wishbone fullback Weldon Ledbetter (1979-1982) (FULL DISCLOSURE: Cousin of D. Orlando Ledbetter.)

Corey Levin, Tennessee-Chattanooga, 6-5, 3-5, OL, Dacula High. Three-time All-American and two-time winner of the Southern Conference's Jacobs Blocking Award. He played both guard and tackle and started 51 games over his career, including the final 45 in a row. NFLDraftScout.com has Levin rated as the 17th best guard in the draft and projects that he will be selected in the seventh round or go undrafted.

Isaiah McKenzie: Georgia wide receiver and kick return specialist Isaiah McKenzie spent three seasons in Athens. He played high school football in Miami.

Raekwon McMillan, Ohio State, 6-2, 243, LB, Liberty County, Hinesville, Ga. He was first-team All-Big Ten and  second-team All-America by the Associated Press, Walter Camp, USA Today, The Sporting News, Sports Illustrated and Fox Sports. He led the Buckeyes with 87 tackles and tied a career-high with 16 tackles in the regular-season finale vs. Michigan. NFLDraftScout.com has him ranked as the second best inside linebacker in the draft and projects that he'll be drafted in the second round.

Jalen Myrick, Minnesota, 5-10, 205, DB, Savannah Christian Prep, Bloomingdale. He started all 13 games and recorded 41 tackles, 11 pass breakups and one interception. He also returned 13 kickoffs for 287 yards and nine punts for 44 yards. He played in 46 career games for Minnesota and made 90 tackles, including seven tackles for losses. He also broke up 19 career passes and has returned two of his five interceptions for touchdowns. He has also returned 43 kickoffs for 1,052 yards and returned a kick 100 yards for a touchdown against Northwestern in 2014. Myrick is in line to be selected in the 2017 NFL Draft. Minnesota has a strong recent history in having defensive backs drafted. Eric Murray was taken by the Kansas City Chiefs in 2016, while Cedric Thompson was selected by the Miami Dolphins in 2015 and Brock Vereen by the Chicago Bears in 2014. NFLDraftScout.com has him ranked as the 24th best cornerback in the draft and projects that he'll be drafted in the fifth or sixth round.

Isaac Rochell, Notre Dame, 6-3 ½, 290, DL, Eagles Landing Christian, McDonough. Played in 49 games over his career and had 167 tackles including 22 for losses. Had seven pass breakups and 27 quarterback hits. NFLDraftScout.com has him ranked as the 25th best defensive end in the draft and projects that he'll be drafted in the seventh round or go undrafted.

Cameron Sutton, Tennessee, 5-11, 186, DB, Jonesboro High. He played in 45 games for the Volunteers and had 127 tackles and seven interceptions. Sutton finished career as Tennessee's all-time leader in passes defended with 37 (30 pass breakups, seven interceptions) He graduated in December 2016 with degree in Communication Studies. NFLDraftScout.com has him ranked as the 10th best cornerback in the draft and projects that he'll be drafted in the second round.

Dalvin Tomlinson, Alabama, 6-3, 305, DL, Henry County, McDonough. He played in 39 games for the Crimson Tide and had 122 tackles, including 10.5 for losses and four sacks.

Deshaun Watson, Clemson, 6-3, 215, QB, Gainesville High. The record-setting quarterback guided the Tigers to consecutive College Football Playoff appearances, and the school's second second National Championship in 2016. The two-time Heisman Trophy finalist led the Tigers to 28 wins over his final two seasons. He finished his storied career with a 32-3 record as a starter, best winning percentage in school history for a quarterback. He finished third in ACC history in total offense (12,094), behind only N.C. State's Philip Rivers and former Clemson quarterback Tajh Boyd. He passed for 10,163 yards and 90 career touchdowns and finished in Clemson history in career completion percentage (.674), passing efficiency (157.5) and total offense per game (318.3). He was a two-time team most valuable player and two-time All-ACC academic team (2015,16) selection. NFLDraftScout.com has him ranked as the third best quarterback in the draft and projects that he'll be drafted in the first or second round.

Stanley "Boom"  Williams: Kentucky running back from Monroe (George Walton Academy) compiled 2,025 yards over his final two seasons with the Wildcats.

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