Football season is over for every team in America outside Philadelphia, Foxborough, Minneapolis and Jacksonville. As such, let the mock drafts begin.
Draft weekend will be a big one for Kirby Smart and the Georgia Bulldogs. After their best season in 35 years, the Bulldogs will see several of their stars find new NFL homes.
The consensus best prospect of the group is linebacker Roquan Smith, who’s perfectly built for the modern NFL and could go as high as the top 10.
Matt Miller, Bleacher Report's draft guru, released a mock draft Monday. He pegged Smith to Jon Gruden's Oakland Raiders at No. 9 overall.
“Smith, as you saw in the College Football Playoff, brings the wood as a tackler,” Miller said. “He's effective running alleys outside the tackle box and arrives with power at the ball-carrier. He has eye-opening quickness in chasing the ball. He is also athletic enough to be an asset in coverage when matched up against backs and has the hips to be solid in zone drops.”
Miller had the Raiders double-dip on UGA players, grabbing running back Sony Michel at No. 41. Michel is widely expected to end up a high second-round pick, if not slipping into the late first following a standout playoff performance.
Smith and Michel were the highest selected Bulldogs. Miller also had linebacker Lorenzo Carter landing in Pittsburgh in the second round.
Trenton Thompson, the massive defensive lineman who left Georgia early, wasn’t listed in his two-round mock. Other former Bulldogs, such as Dominick Sanders, Aaron Davis, Javon Wims and Davin Bellamy, are expected to hear their names called during the three-day draft.
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