UGA had three players selected in the first round of last year’s NFL Draft, and it looks like the Bulldogs have built some early momentum in having at least two players picked in the opening round of this year’s draft.
NFL.com’s Bucky Brooks released his Mock Draft 2.0, and he projected two UGA players in the top round.
The first one is no surprise – cornerback Deandre Baker. Pretty much every mock draft has Baker, this past season’s winner of the Jim Thorpe Award for being college football’s top defensive back, projected to the Indianapolis Colts at No. 26.
Here’s what Brooks wrote: “The Jim Thorpe award winner would immediately upgrade the Colts’ secondary. Speed is a question, but his instincts, awareness and takeaway skills make him a nice fit in the Colts’ scheme.”
The second UGA player by NFL.com? It’s Riley Ridley to the Oakland Raiders at the No. 27 pick. Wrote Brooks: “Gruden loves skilled route runners at receiver. Ridley is a crafty technician with a knack for getting open and making tough catches in traffic.”
Ridley has been in an upward trend lately in the mock drafts. UGA has only had two receivers drafted in the first round in the last 50 years – A.J. Green (2011, Bengals) and Lindsay Scott (1982, Saints).
