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UGA defense preparing for life after Roquan Smith

Georgia's Roquan Smith was selected 8th in the NFL Draft's first round.
By Chris Starrs
Aug 6, 2018

» More UGA coverage on ajc.com

Roquan Smith has moved on to the NFL, leaving a huge void that Georgia must fill on its defense.

So how will the Bulldogs replace last season’s top defender?

“Obviously (Roquan) is a great player, but it’s next man up,” defensive coordinator Mel Tucker said. “So we’ll rally and we’ll develop the guys that we have and we’ll see what the identity of this defense is this year.”

Smith, the No. 8 overall pick in April's NFL draft, had 137 tackles and 6.5 sacks in 2017 and won the Butkus Award as the nation's top linebacker. Among the replacements for Smith include Natrez Patrick, Juwan Taylor, Monty Rice and Tae Crowder.

» Bradley: Cutting to the chase - Can Georgia go 12-0? (I vote yea)

» More: Breaking down the 2018 schedule | UGA notes

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