ATHENS – Three Georgia players will be among 21 prospects who accepted invitations to attend the NFL Draft in Las Vegas on April 28. Ironically, the one projected to hear his name called the earliest will not be there.
Travon Walker, who is projected as high as No. 3 pick in mock drafts, including ESPN, won’t be among the Bulldogs in Vegas. Walker told reporters at Georgia’s Pro Day on March 16 that he planned to remain home with family when the draft proceedings get under way that Thursday night at 8 p.m. (ESPN).
Meanwhile, Jordan Davis, Devonte Wyatt and Nakobe Dean all accepted invitations to attend the televised ceremonies from the Las Vegas strip. It’s expected to be quite a scene.
A few years ago, the NFL made the decision to rotate around its annual draft to different NFL cities. That has initiated a shift in dynamics from business convention to more of a rock festival.
Before the pandemic, the three-day NFL Draft event held in Nashville brought 600,000 fans to the Broadway district of the Music City and brought in a $132.8 million of tourist revenue, according to the Nashville Convention and Visitors Corporation. Vegas will, of course, be seeking to top that.
Georgia’s Dean said he didn’t want to miss out.
“I kind of asked my family,” Dean said on the Athens Banner-Herald’s Georgia Bulldogs Extra podcast this week. “I was, like, ‘man, what y’all want to do because I could care less as long as everybody’s happy and I’m with them.’ … They immediately wanted to go to Vegas. They wanted to be at the draft. It’s a once in a lifetime experience.”
Also expected to be in Vegas are former Bulldog Jermaine Johnson, who transferred to Florida State as a senior; Michigan defensive end Aidan Hutchinson, who is expected to be the No. 1 pick even after Georgia’s offensive line dominated him in the Orange Bowl; and Jameson Williams, the Alabama receiver who went out with a knee injury in the first half of the College Football Playoff championship game against the Bulldogs.
Walker, Davis, Wyatt and Dean all are considered possible first-round draft prospects. Georgia is expected set a school record for number of players taken in the draft, which had a record nine taken last season. LSU holds the national mark of 14 set in the 2020 draft.
Walker was a junior defensive end who started all 15 games for the Bulldogs last season. The 6-foot-5, 275-pound athlete led the Bulldogs with 36 quarterback pressures along with 6 sacks and 7.5 tackles for loss. He and Georgia offensive guard Justin Shaffer are represented by Elite Loyalty Sports.
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