FLOWERY BRANCH — Former Georgia tight end Brock Bowers is considered a top-five talent in coming NFL draft.
He will be a part of a group of 35 players with Georgia connections participating in the NFL Scouting Combine, which starts Monday and runs through March 4 at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.
A total of 321 players were invited to perform physical and mental tests in front of NFL coaches, general managers and scouts with the goal of improving their status for the draft, which will be held April 25-27 in Detroit.
“I love Brock Bowers, but when you sit down to do a mock draft it is very hard to find a spot for a tight end,” ESPN draft analyst Matt Miller said. “Every time I do a mock draft exercise, I feel like he’s coming off the board at 13, 14 or 15.”
NFL Network analyst Daniel Jeremiah has Bowers, a three-time All-American and two-time John Mackey Award winner, going to the Bengals with the 18th overall pick.
“Really, the run-after-the-catch stuff is what makes him special,” Jeremiah said. “The challenge is figuring out where does he go in the draft.”
Former Georgia wide receiver Ladd McConkey also is an intriguing NFL prospect.
“I think with Ladd, coming off the Senior Bowl and watching him play, I don’t know why he’s not getting that first-round love,” Miller said. “I don’t know if there is an expectation that he’s not going to perform well athletically.”
McConkey could slip into the first round if there is a run on wide receivers.
“He is a little bit alignment specific,” Miller said. “He’s going to mostly play in the slot just because of his size.”
McConkey is in a group of five similar receivers with Xavier Worthy (Texas), Andonai Mitchell (Texas), Troy Franklin (Oregon) and Keon Coleman (Florida State).
“Those five receivers are grouped together for me,” Miller said. “I think it will come down to scheme-fit for McConkey.”
Here’s a look a the players invited to the combine with Georgia connections:
RUNNING BACKS
Daijun Edwards, 5-feet-10, 201 pounds, Georgia (Colquitt County High School): He played in 12 games and made 10 starts last season. He led the Bulldogs with 165 carries for 880 yards and 13 touchdowns.
Kendall Milton, 6-1, 220, Georgia: He played in 12 games and made two starts last season. He was second on the team with 121 rushes for 790 yards and led the team with 14 rushing touchdowns. He had nine carries for team-high 127 yards and two touchdowns, including a 51-yard run against Mississippi. He was named the Orange Bowl MVP after leading the team with 104 rushing yards on nine carries with two touchdowns.
Kimani Vidal, 5-8, 215, Troy (Marietta HS): He was the 2023 Sun Belt Offensive Player of the Year last season. He was a third-team All-American pick and had a season of eligibility remaining. He set a Troy school-record with 1,661 rushing yards last season.
WIDE RECEIVERS
Credit: Jason.Getz@ajc.com
Credit: Jason.Getz@ajc.com
Javon Baker, 6-1, 208, Central Florida (McEachern HS): Started his career at Alabama and played two seasons with the Crimson Tide before transferring. He was first-team All-Big 12 on the coaches’ team. He led the Big 12 in receiving yards with 1,139 and finished ranked second in the nation in yards per catch (21.9 yards). He had 52 catches and seven touchdowns. He had a career-high nine receptions for 173 yards and a touchdown against Georgia Tech in the Gasparilla Bowl.
Ladd McConkey, 6-0, 187, Georgia (North Murray HS): The 6-foot, 187-pound junior turned a lot of heads during the Senior Bowl last month. He was voted top wide receiver for the American team. He was the Wuerffel Trophy winner, which honors the player “who best combines exemplary community service with athletic and academic achievement.” He played in nine games and made one start last season. He had 30 catches for 478 yards and two receiving touchdowns while adding one rushing TD.
Bub Means, 6-2, 215, Pittsburgh (Lovejoy HS): He played in 12 games and started 10 for the Panthers. He was honorable-mention All-ACC. Means had 41 catches for 721 yards (17.6 avg.) and six touchdowns. He led Pitt in receiving yards and TD catches. He had a 75-yard TD catch at Virginia Tech, which marked a career-long reception and was the Panthers’ longest of the season. He also played at Louisiana Tech and was a defensive back at Tennessee in 2019.
Marcus Rosemy-Jacksaint, 6-2, 195, Georgia: He played in 13 of 14 games and made 11 starts. He had 34 catches for 535 yards, which ranked third on the team. His four TDs tied him for second among Bulldogs in 2023. He caught four passes for 99 yards, including a 40-yard touchdown reception in win over Kentucky.
Jamari Thrash, 6-0, 180, Louisville (Troup County HS): He started 12 games and made 63 catches for 858 yards and six touchdowns. He averaged 71.5 yards per game and had seven catches for 57 yards in the ACC Championship game against Florida State. In Thrash’s high school career, he had 134 receptions for 2,839 yards and 31 touchdowns. Thrash started his career at Georgia State, where he was All-American and All-Sun Belt as a three-year letter winner (2020-22). He ranks fifth in Georgia State history in receiving yards (1,752), eighth in receptions (104) and tied for sixth in TD receptions (12).
Malik Washington, 5-8, 194,Virginia (Parkview HS): He played last season as a graduate transfer after starting his career at Northwestern. He was one of 10 semifinalists for the Biletnikoff Award (top receiver).
TIGHT ENDS
Credit: Jason.Getz@ajc.com
Credit: Jason.Getz@ajc.com
Jaheim Bell, 6-3, 239, Florida State (Valdosta HS): He caught 39 passes for 503 yards and two touchdowns last season for the Seminoles. Bell spent this past season at Florida State after spending his previous three seasons at South Carolina. He played in 30 games and made 11 starts in three seasons with the Gamecocks.
Brock Bowers, 6-4, 240, Georgia: He was a three-time All-American and two-time John Mackey Award (top tight end) winner. There’s some question as to how much or what Bowers might do since he is coming off a serious ankle injury that required TightRope surgery. He’s the first back-to-back Mackey winner. He became only the third player in Georgia’s history to earn three first-team All-American honors, joining Herschel Walker and David Pollack.
OFFENSIVE LINEMEN
Credit: Jason.Getz@ajc.com
Credit: Jason.Getz@ajc.com
Tylan Grable, 6-7, 290, Central Florida (Wilkinson County HS): He starter all 13 games last season and was named honorable-mention offensive lineman on the All-Big 12 team chosen by league coaches.
Trente Jones, 6-4, 324, Michigan (Grayson HS): He was a key cog of two Joe Moore Award-winning offensive lines (2021-22), the first back-to-back winners in history. He was a four-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree (2020-23) and four-time letterman. He played in 37 career games on the offensive line and 41 overall. He made 12 starts at right tackle and as the team’s sixth lineman. He played in all 15 games and made five starts on the offensive line (three right tackle, two as a sixth lineman).
Dylan McMahon, 6-2, 295, N.C. State (Savannah Christian): As a fifth-year senior, he played in 10 games with a total of 621 offensive snaps. He allowed nine quarterback hurries and one sack at center. In 2022, he played in 12 games and had 751 offensive snaps. He allowed 10 quarterback hurries, two quarterback hits and a sack while splitting time at right guard and center.
Amarius Mims, 6-7, 340, Georgia (Bleckley County HS): He played right tackle in seven games and made six starts. He sustained a high-ankle sprain in Georgia’s SEC opener against South Carolina. He returned from injury in home finale against Mississippi.
Hunter Nourzad, 6-3, 320, Penn State (The Walker School): He earned a engineering degree at Cornell before transferring to Penn State. Started 13 games for the Nittany Lions last season. He was named a two-time all-state selection by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Recruit Georgia and the Georgia Athletic Coaches Association.
Sedrick Van Pran-Granger, 6-4, 310, Georgia: He was the SEC’s Jacobs Blocking Trophy winner. He was selected first-team All-SEC by the Associated Press and SEC coaches. He started at center in all 14 games for the Bulldogs.
DEFENSIVE LINEMEN
Justin Eboigbe, 6-5, 292, Alabama (Forest Park HS): He was healthy after sustaining a season-ending neck injury midway through the 2022 season. He was named first-team All-SEC by the conference coaches. He was named second-team All-SEC by the Associated Press. He made 64 tackles to rank fourth on Alabama’s defense. He had 11.5 tackles for loss (minus-50 yards) and also had seven sacks, four QB hurries and one pass breakup.
Zion Logue, 6-5, 310, Georgia: He played in every game last season and made 10 starts along the defensive line. He had 17 tackles with 2.5 for loss, including half of a sack. He also had three pass breakups. In 2022, he played in 14 of 15 games and made six starts.
LINEBACKERS
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
Michael Barrett, 6-0, 239, Michigan (Lowndes HS): He started all 15 games and contributed on special teams. He finished second on the team with 65 tackles, including 3.5 for losses, three sacks, five quarterback hurries, three forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries, and two pass breakups. Set a new Michigan record for games played during his career (64). He appeared in more wins during his career (52) than any player in program history. He was an All-Big Ten selection (third team, coaches; honorable mention, media).
JD Bertrand, 6-1, 233, Notre Dame (Blessed Trinity): Led the Fighting Irish with 76 tackles last season. He also had 7.5 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks, five pass breakups, seven quarterback hurries and a forced fumble.
Aaron Casey, 6-2, 235, Indiana (Alexander HS): Became the 12th linebacker in Indiana history to earn first-team All-Big Ten honors. He had 20 tackles for loss last season and a career total of 36 tackles for loss, which finished ranked eighth all-time at Indiana. He was voted team captain last season.
Steele Chambers, 6-1, 232, Ohio State (Blessed Trinity): Chambers was a three-year starter for the Buckeyes and played a total of five seasons, including his first two seasons as a running back. He played in 50 games: four and seven games at running back in 2019 and 2020, respectively, and 39 at linebacker the past three seasons.
Kalen DeLoach, Florida State (Islands HS): He is coming off his best season as a Seminole. He made 66 total tackles, including a career-high 11.5 tackles for loss and seven sacks. He also had two career forced fumbles and his second career interception.
Khalid Duke, 6-4, 246, Kansas State (Riverside Military): He earned first-team all-state honors from The Atlanta Journal Constitution in 2018, the school’s first all-state honor since 2013. He served as a ball boy for the Falcons.
Ty’Ron Hopper, 6-2, 221, Missouri (Roswell HS): Hopper’s 55 tackles through 10 games led the Tigers, before he sustained an ankle injury that forced him to the sideline for the final two games of the regular season. He was named a second-team All-SEC pick by the coaches. He became the third Mizzou player to earn finalist honors for the Butkus Award, joining Nick Bolton (2020) and Sean Weatherspoon (2008-09).
Jontrey Hunter, 6-2, 240, Georgia State: He was named to the 2023 All-Sun Belt Conference (third team) and was the defensive player of the game in the 2020 LendingTree Bowl. He was a three-year starter and five-year letter winner (2018-23). Was moved to inside linebacker after playing outside linebacker for most of his career. Made 234 career tackles and 21 tackles for loss, three interceptions and three fumble recoveries.
Trevin Wallace, 6-2, 220, Kentucky (Wayne County HS): He was a three-year letter winner for the Wildcats. He played in 36 games and made 19 starts. He was named a permanent captain for the 2023 season. He finished with 166 tackles, 18 tackles for loss, 10 sacks, five quarterback hurries, three interceptions, two forced fumbles and a pass breakup.
DEFENSIVE BACKS
Cole Bishop, 6-2, 207, Utah (Starr’s Mill HS): He played in 35 games and made 29 starts for the Utes. He was a three-time Pac-12 all-conference selection (second-team in 2023, honorable mention in 2021 and 22).
Javon Bullard, 5-11, 195, Georgia (Baldwin HS): He was a second-team All-SEC selection by the Associated Press. He played in 12 games, starting all 12 at safety. Ranked third on the team in tackles with 56. He also had two interceptions and five breakups.
Marcellas Dial, 6-0,190, South Carolina (Georgia Military College): He spent three seasons with the Gamecocks, and he appeared in 38 games and made 29 starts. He finished with 114 tackles, three interceptions and 28 pass breakups. He was selected by the coaches for the Overcoming Adversity Award at the postseason senior banquet.
Kamari Lassiter, 6-0, 180, Georgia: He started at cornerback in every game last season and led the team with eight pass breakups. He made 37 total tackles, including 3.5 tackles for loss (minus-11 yards).
Jaylin Simpson, 6-1, 178, Auburn (Frederica Academy): He finished with 118 career tackles and seven interceptions. He had a 50-yard interception return for a touchdown in the 2023 season opener against Massachusetts. He had a strong showing in coverage at the Senior Bowl.
Tykee Smith, 5-10, 205, Georgia: He was a second-team All-SEC pick by the coaches. He made 12 starts last season and led the team in tackles with 70, 8.5 tackles for losses and four interceptions.
Nate Wiggins, 6-2, 185, Clemson (Westlake HS): Completed his career and was credited by the coaching staff with 50 tackles (three for loss), 24 pass breakups, three interceptions (including two returned for touchdowns), two forced fumbles, a sack and a blocked field-goal attempt in 1,377 career snaps over 34 games (18 starts) from 2021-23. Considered an elite cover corner who was a first-team All-ACC pick in 2023.
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