Georgia 2026 NFL draft class valued, but falls short of lofty projection

Kirby Smart has built a Georgia football program that reloads like few others, to the extent that having eight players selected in the NFL draft seems like an off year.

This, even though only six programs had more players selected this year: Ohio State (11), Alabama (10), Texas A&M (10), Clemson (nine) and Miami (nine).

The 2026 Georgia NFL draft class is worth approximately $72.5 million in its collective rookie contracts — down from the $115 million that UGA’s 13-member class in 2025 signed in rookie deals.

The Bulldogs’ 2026 class was projected to make more than $100 million, based on NFL.com’s mock draft last week, but some UGA players were selected lower than expected.

Offensive tackle Monroe Freeling kept UGA’s streak of having a first-round pick alive (now nine consecutive years), going 19th overall to the Panthers.

Freeling’s four-year rookie contract — $20.9 million, including an $11.7 million signing bonus — set the bar for the class of draftees.

Freeling helped lead a Georgia team that went 11-1 in the regular season before repeating as SEC champions with a 28-7 win over Alabama and a second straight College Football Playoff quarterfinal appearance in the Sugar Bowl.

Linebacker C.J. Allen was a team captain and widely projected to be selected in the first round, but Allen fell to the second round.

The NFL is paying its rookie class more than ever, as there’s a $125 million rise from 2025 in NFL rookie signing bonuses — up 18.5% — per Sportico.

Quarterback Fernando Mendoza, who won the Heisman Trophy and led Indiana to the national championship, was the No. 1 pick and will get a four-year, $57.3 million deal, including a $38.1 million signing bonus.

Mendoza’s contract represents a significant increase from last year’s No. 1 overall pick, quarterback Cam Ward, who received a $48.8 million deal as the top pick in the 2025 NFL draft.

Carson Beck, the former Georgia quarterback who transferred to Miami with hopes of following in Ward’s shoes, was the No. 65 overall pick as the first pick of the third round and is scheduled to make $7.4 million over the course of his four-year rookie contract.

The NFL started slotting rookie contracts in 2011, after the 2010 draft saw former Oklahoma quarterback Sam Bradford sign a deal worth $78 million — a number that, adjusted for inflation, would be $118.1 million in 2026 dollars, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics consumer price index.

Matthew Stafford was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2009 NFL draft and signed a six-year, $72 million deal that included $41.7 million in guaranteed money

Here’s a look at what the Georgia players selected in this year’s NFL draft were preslotted to make in their four-year contracts, per Spotrac.com:

2026 draft picks from UGA

Monroe Freeling

First round, No. 19 overall, Panthers— $20.9 million deal, with an $11.7 million signing bonus

Christen Miller

Second round, No. 42 overall, Saints — $11.8 million deal

CJ Allen

Second round, No. 53 overall, Colts — $9.1 million deal

Oscar Delp

Second round, No. 73 overall, Saints — $7.2 million deal

Zachariah Branch

Third round, No. 79 overall, Falcons — $7.1 million deal

Daylen Everette

Third round, No. 85 overall, Steelers— $6.9 million deal

Colbie Young

Fourth round, No. 140 overall, Bengals — $5 million deal

Micah Morris

Sixth round, No. 207 overall, Eagles — $4.5 million deal

Undrafted free agents

Georgia has a number of players who were negotiating free-agent deals as the NFL draft came to a close Saturday night:

• Brett Thorson
• Dillon Bell
• Josh McCray
• Cash Jones
• Noah Thomas
• JaCorey Thomas

2025 draft picks from UGA

Here’s a look at UGA’s 2025 NFL draft class, and what the 13 players selected — including three first-round picks — were slotted to make:

• Mykel Williams, 11th overall, $24.9 million
• Jalon Walker, 15th overall, $20.5 million
• Malaki Starks, 27th overall, $16.6 million
• Tate Ratledge, 57th overall, $7.7 million
• Dylan Fairchild, 81st overall, $6.4 million
• Jared Wilson, 95th overall, $6.2 million
• Arian Smith,110th overall, $5.2 million
• Trevor Etienne, 114th overall, $5.2 million
• Ty Ingram-Dawkins, 139th overall, $4.7 million
• Smael Mondon, 161st overall, $4.6 million
• Warren Brinson, 198th overall, $4.4 million
• Dan Jackson, 230th overall, $4.3 million
• Dominic Lovett, 244th overall, $4.3 million