ATHENS -- Add Nakobe Dean, George Pickens and Travon Walker to Georgia’s long list of underclassmen declaring for the NFL draft.
Dean, the Butkus Award-winning linebacker, Pickens, the Bulldogs’ star receiver sidelined by a knee injury this season and Walker, the Bulldogs’ star defensive end, were long expected to make this move. They joined junior safety Lewis Cine and junior running back Zamir White in making that decision Friday.
Dean and Walker are the top pro prospects among the Bulldogs to have declared so far, drawing potential top-10 draft grades. Dean led the Bulldogs with 143 tackles over the past two seasons. Dean and Walker each had six sacks this past season.
Pickens led Georgia in receiving each of the past two seasons before going down with a knee injury one week into spring practice in March. Pickens surprised a lot of people by making his way back to the field this season. He first played against Georgia Tech in the regular-season finale Nov. 27, barely eight months after undergoing ACL reconstructive surgery. He ended up with five catches for 107 yards in the Bulldogs’ last five games, an average of 21.4 yards per return.
