The 2021 NFL Draft is in the books, with the Georgia Bulldogs having nine players being selected in the draft.
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Good write up about Newman. On one hand, I try not to rejoice in others misfortune. On the other hand, I don't care for anyone that hurts the UGA program. What you wrote sums up the situation nicely.
"I’m personally not sure what Newman could’ve done to prevent the Georgia defense from giving 400-plus passing yards and 40-plus points against Alabama and Florida..."
Not turning the ball over 3 times (Bama) and generally being able to pick up the occasional first down (Florida) probably would have gone a long way.
I think the Newman issue actually helped UGA with recruiting...a lot. He went from 1st round/Heisman pre-season hype to undrafted when he opted out. I feel bad for the kid and his family, but its going to be easy to go into a recruits house and say "This is what UGA football brings to the table if you're ready to work, compete and trust the process". And I'd say you can double down on the hype for kids when the NIL is in full effect. If we can get 2 guys in the first half of the 1st round next year, UGA's recruiting machine will be in full tilt for 2023 and beyond.
Yep, I think it was a very successful draft. I've already said my piece about Newman, so no more. This list was kinda a strange one: I was hoping for more of a specific comparison of those who did better and worse. For instance, I know that it wasn't surprising to many based on the end of the year performance, but considering he was considered a "once in a generation player", I thought the former-UGA player Fields was kinda low at 11th.
I don’t resent Newman for opting out. I resent him for making the decision three weeks before the opener, after taking all the first team reps all year.
If Covid-19 was the reason he didn’t want to play, he could have made that decision in April.
