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Why 2022 NFL Draft pick Travon Walker going No. 1 overall means so much to Kirby Smart

SystemSystem Posts: 7,416 admin
edited April 2022 in Article commenting
imageWhy 2022 NFL Draft pick Travon Walker going No. 1 overall means so much to Kirby Smart

Georgia football coach Kirby Smart has developed plenty of first-round players with the Bulldogs and during his nine years as Nick Saban’s top assistant at Alabama.

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Comments

  • SmartsTheManSmartsTheMan Posts: 1,513 ✭✭✭✭✭ Graduate

    Look at what Kirby has accomplished in just six short years! It's a great time to be a UGA Dawg!

  • natejawsnatejaws Posts: 162 ✭✭✭ Junior
    edited April 2022

    This is awesome for Walker and Smart!

    I wonder where Burton will be drafted and if he is second guessing his transfer. I understand looking at the difference in Bama receivers and having a Heisman trophy qb throwing you the ball, but he looks like a quitter the way he left and I have a feeling he'll be dinged by the NFL for it if he doesn't have 1,000+ yards and 10+ tds.

  • HenddawgHenddawg Posts: 716 ✭✭✭✭✭ Graduate

    Absolutely how this can look that way but hard to fault Burton for the change. Receivers want and need that level of involvement and in a system that will highlight those skills, which for good or bad, UGA’s doesn’t at this time and won’t this coming season. Just take a look at Williams - he went round 1 with an ACL injury after leaving OSU and OSU still has lots of high round receiver picks. Hate to see him leave, but I just don’t see him looking like a quitter vs more involvement. Had he been a bad teammate or not worked to heal and return, then maybe, but I believe he will be fine there.

  • JTM22JTM22 Posts: 56 ✭✭✭ Junior

    From the outside looking in, Burton was not a bad teammate and he was all in for GA. He helped deliver the long awaited National Championship.

    UGA and JB7 got a championship, and now JB made a business decision.

    Assuming JB gets his numbers and drafted highly, I take it as a win win for both.

  • JBMDawg46JBMDawg46 Posts: 348 ✭✭✭✭ Senior

    How can a three year starter and best player on a generationally great defense no get drafted in the first round? I am talking about Nakobe Dean, of course. Isn’t he actually a better football player?

  • BetheredgeBetheredge Posts: 197 ✭✭✭ Junior

    Just a couple of thoughts. None of this happens if several of these guys opt to leave after 2020. There was not a first rounder & few if any 2nd & even 3rd round picks in the group a year ago. They chose to come back & by doing so they got faster, stronger, bigger & better which led to the publicity of the national title. Additionally, they worked their butts off between the SEC Championship game & the combine. The reward was five first round picks & what will be $92-$93 million in guaranteed contracts. In 2020, the Dawgs only 1st round pick & the other record setting 8-9 draft picks signed for just over $56 million with some being waived & signed to practice squads with very little reward.. Walker & Davis' contracts will be worth in excess of $54 million!!! Not only that, the 17 Dawgs drafted the last two years only signed contracts initially worth $86 million. This year, if 13-15 Dawgs are drafted, they will likely sign contracts north of $135 million.

    The moral of this story? Be patient!! It ain't just about being drafted. It's about working your tail off & staying in school until you're out of eligibility or pretty much a lock to be a 1st round pick. Leaving early rarely pays off & is certainly not a long term career plan.

  • CandlerParkCandlerPark Posts: 632 ✭✭✭✭✭ Graduate

    I don't want to come across as bellyaching after such a great first round for the Dawgs. But Nakobe dropping out of the first round still annoys me.

    Travon Walker's pro potential outweighed Aidan Hutchinson's college achievements. Quay Walker's pro potential outweighed Dean's college achievements. I get it.

    But dropping Dean to the second round? That's an overreaction.

    The rap on Nakobe coming out of college is kind of the opposite from the rap on Tim Tebow. In college, Tebow's physical abilities (particularly sheer strength) masked poor fundamentals and lackluster field reading ability.

    Meanwhile, Dean lacks the physical stature of a standard NFL ILB. But his fundamentals and field intelligence are exceptional. His play reading, first step, speed, agility and angles consistently made his size irrelevant. And his leadership made everyone around him play better.

    Is being 5'11-1/4" a handicap at the pro level? Certainly. It seems likely, however, that those many other qualities will again overshadow his lack of length.

    I know that I'm biased and not at all an expert. But I'll take on anyone fool enough to bet that Dean won't have a very successful pro career.

  • BarkingDawgBarkingDawg Posts: 2,541 ✭✭✭✭✭ Graduate

    Walker will make any defense better and cover a lot of holes and mistakes of his teammates. His individual stats wills go up but the team defensive stats will improve even more.

  • budknox310budknox310 Posts: 812 ✭✭✭✭ Senior

    With Walker going first, just showed that you don't have to be an instant starter. Just show massive potential. All those d-linemen that went to TA&M, may prove a bad decision. But on the bright side, atleast they got paid BEFORE college. 🤣😂🤣😂

    GO DAWGS!!!!!

  • Wozzo_the_Wonder_DogWozzo_the_Wonder_Dog Posts: 189 ✭✭✭ Junior

    Can the AJC work with UGA's athletic department and get a photo of Travon Walker with Charley Trippi? Bonus points if you can get Stafford in. Maybe even just Trippi's comments on this last season. We aren't going to have him much longer.

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