INDIANAPOLIS -- Georgia receiver A.J. Green and Auburn quarterback Cam Newton, projected as top 15 picks in the NFL draft, plan to fully participate in the drills at the NFL scouting combine, which started on Wednesday and runs through Tuesday at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.
The high-profile players are part of a group of 31 with Georgia connections on the invitation list who will go through the combine testing and interview process with executives from the 32 NFL teams. More players, like Georgia's Jeff Owens last season, could be added late because of injuries or other factors.
Here’s a look at the group, with ratings and draft round projections from NFLDraftScout.com:
GEORGIA PLAYERS
-- Clint Boling, OT (Chattahoochee High): Named All-SEC first team by SEC Coaches and second team by Associated Press. Selected as team's offensive captain. Draft grade: Third or fourth round.
-- Shaun Chapas, FB: Selected as the team's permanent captain at the end of the season. A hard-nosed football player.
-- Vance Cuff, DB, (Colquitt County): He has elite speed and plays fast. He's run the 40-yard dash in 4.24 seconds.
-- Josh Davis, OT: At 6-foot-6 and 310 pounds, he has NFL size. He graduated in December with a degree in speech communication.
-- Akeem Dent, LB, (Douglass High): Started all 13 games and had a team-best 126 tackles, including 6.5 for loss and 2.5 sacks. He also forced and recovered two fumbles. Graduated in December with a degree in housing.
-- DeMarcus Dobbs, DE, (Savannah Calvary Baptist): Appeared in 13 games and made 10 starts, recording 28 tackles and 15 quarterback pressures. Graduated in December with a degree in consumer economics.
-- A.J. Green, WR: Appeared in nine games and made eight starts. Caught a team-leading 57 passes for 848 yards and nine touchdowns. Draft grade: The fourth-rated player with a first-round grade.
-- Justin Houston, DE (Statesboro): Considered one of the top hybrid defensive end/linebacker prospects in the country. Draft grade: He's the 28th-rated player and is projected to go in the first or second round.
GEORGIA TECH PLAYERS
-- Anthony Allen, RB: Teams like his explosiveness and ability to hit the hole with some authority. Started his career at Louisville.
-- Mario Butler, CB: Was a two-year starter. Has good striking ability, but there are questions about his range and coverage ability.
-- Jerrard Tarrant, S: Declared for the draft after his redshirt junior season. He will have to talk with teams about his sexual assault case, even though the charges were dropped. Draft grade: He's the 121st-rated player overall and is a projected third- or fourth-round pick.
PLAYERS FROM METRO ATLANTA
-- Darvin Adams, WR, Auburn (Harrison): He led Auburn with 52 catches last season. He had 963 yards and seven touchdowns. Draft grade: He's the 175th-ranked player and is a projected fifth-rounder.
-- Ladi Ajiobye, DT, South Carolina (Banneker High): Played in all 14 games and had 41 tackles. He had five tackles for loss and two sacks.
-- Mario Fannin, RB, Auburn (Lovejoy): He was a double-threat quarterback in high school. He was named to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Super Southern 100.
-- Dwayne Harris, WR, East Carolina (Tucker): He led the Pirates with 101 catches for 1,123 yards and 10 touchdowns last season. Draft grade: He's the 158th-ranked player and a projected third- or fourth-round pick.
-- Chas Henry, PK, Florida (East Paulding): He made 7 of 11 field goals last season with a long of 47 yards. Averaged 45.1 yards on 50 punts last season. Draft grade: He's the 203rd-rated player and is a projected sixth-round pick as a punter.
-- Cameron Heyward, DE, Ohio State (Whitefield Academy/Peachtree Ridge): Son of former Falcons great and NFL star Craig "Ironhead" Heyward. Draft grade: He's the 30th-ranked player in the draft and a projected first- or second-round pick.
-- Bruce Miller, LB, Central Florida (Woodstock): He was the defensive player of the year in Conference USA and was a first-team, all-conference pick.
-- Cam Newton, QB, Auburn (Westlake): Won the Heisman Trophy and guided the Tigers to the BCS national championship. He transferred from Florida to Blinn Junior College before landing at Auburn. Draft grade: He's the 11th-ranked player and is projected to be selected in the first round.
-- Da'Norris Searcy, DB, North Carolina (Towers): Projects as a strong safety in the NFL. Draft grade: He's the 226th-ranked player and is a projected sixth- or seventh-round pick.
-- Kelvin Sheppard, LB, LSU (Stephenson): He runs 4.64 in the 40, which is excellent for an inside linebacker prospect. Draft grade: The 136th ranked player and is a projected fourth round pick.
-- Darryl Skrine, CB, Tennessee-Chattanooga (Etowah): He can bench press 360 pounds, has a 35-inch vertical and runs a 4.22 in the 40-yard dash.
-- Will Rackley, OG, Lehigh (Riverdale): A three-time All-Patriot League pick. Projects as a guard in the NFL. Draft grade: He's the 100th-ranked player and is a projected third-rounder.
-- T. J. Yates, QB, North Carolina (Pope): The Marietta native established 37 school records. Yates led the Tar Heels to an 8-5 mark, including a 30-27 double-overtime win over Tennessee in the Music City Bowl. Draft grade: He is the 230th-ranked player and is a projected sixth- or seventh-rounder
PLAYERS FROM AROUND THE STATE
-- Allen Bailey, DE, Miami (McIntosh County Academy): Played tackle and end last season for the Hurricanes. Draft grade: He's the 62nd-ranked player and is a projected second-rounder.
-- James Carpenter, OT, Alabama (Augusta Hephzibah): Started his career at Coffeyville (Kan.) Community College. He started 27 straight games at left tackle for the Crimson Tide. Draft grade: He's the 93rd-ranked player and is a projected third-round pick.
-- Ray Dominguez, OT, Arkansas (Bainbridge High): He selected the Razorbacks over Florida State, South Carolina, Southern Miss, Alabama-Birmingham, Central Florida and Marshall.
-- Maurice Hurt, OT, Florida (Baldwin): The Milledgeville native played right tackle, right guard and left guard for the Gators last season.
-- Mark LeGree, FS, Appalachian State (Pacelli Catholic): Had five interceptions last season and seven as a junior.
-- Ricardo Lockette, WR, Fort Valley State (Monroe): NFL teams are intrigued by the Albany native's sprinter's speed and size (6-3, 200).
