Daylen Everette primed for NFL combine, leaves Georgia with black jersey regret
INDIANAPOLIS — It turned out all Daylen Everette needed was some added motivation, and Georgia coach Kirby Smart knew just how to light the fire.
“It was my first time getting reps with the ones (starters), and I gave up some plays, and he was dogging me out on the mic,” Everette said when asked about his most memorable experience on the practice field of that variety. “He was like, ‘You can’t guard him, (but) you want to play, right? And you can’t even do that, so what are doing?’”
Everette said he remembered going back to his room and calling his mother, saying, “I don’t know if I want to do this anymore.”
Until the next day, that is, when Everette had one of his best practices and went on to become a three-year starter who played in 55 games.
“It’s the type of coaching that (Smart) applies to each player, the development from the first day of practice to now,” Everette said. “He turned me into the player I am now.”
There’s plenty of film on the Georgia cornerback, to be sure, and at 3 p.m. Friday, Everette looks to showcase his athleticism in the NFL Combine drills (TV: NFL Network) at Lucas Oil Stadium.
“After I run, I want people to know I’m fast,” Everette said.
The football part, Everette believes, speaks for itself after four years in Smart’s Georgia football program.
“Georgia is one of the best programs in the country, so when you’re going against the best in practice every day, you have the confidence that you can play against anybody,” Everette said. “I’m a high-energy player and it shows on the film.
“When the lights are the brightest, that’s when I play the best, and I can play more than one position, even though I only played boundary (cornerback) at Georgia.”
Everette accomplished a great deal in the 55 games he played, winning a CFP Championship in 2022, along with three SEC championship games in 2022, 2024 and 2025.
But Everette did admit, when prompted, that he would have liked the opportunity to play with Georgia wearing its black jerseys — something that hasn’t happened in the regular season since the COVID year.
“That’s something I wanted to do before I left, but unfortunately, we didn’t get to,” Everette said. “We keep the main thing the main thing, it doesn’t matter what jersey we wear, but that was something I definitely wanted to do because the only time we could wear the black jerseys was in the spring game.”
The next time Everette lines up for spring football it will be with an NFL team — he’s projected to be a third- or fourth-round pick.
About the Author
Mike is in his 10th season covering SEC and Georgia athletics for AJC-DawgNation and has 25 years of CFB experience. Mike is a Heisman Trophy voter and former Football Writers President who was named the National FWAA Beat Writer of the Year in January, 2018.
