Looks like we’re one shy of the record.
Color me surprised to see Greene and Everette’s names on there…but apparently the folks at the NFL MockDraft Database are seeing 14 ‘Dawgs getting drafted by the NFL this year.
So that warrants the question: why, if we’ve had this much talent, have we struggled to dominate games in 2024? Two losses aside, there haven’t been many games where only that the ‘Dawgs were as dominant as this visual suggests.
So what has been the X factor this year? NIL? More competitive games? Strength of schedule? Injuries?
Penny for your thoughts.
Out of those 14, I believe 6 have missed time (in most cases, multiple games) with injuries. Of those remaining, 1 (Yurosek) didn’t get here until the summer and was adjusting to SEC play.
So, my answer is injuries.
Gonna’ pull that thoughtful penny from my loafers, how much of “ABC” takes a hit on the nil trail, considering the HIGH UGA football has been on, how much does this season take a bite out of CKS (understanding every season/team is different), Mr. Truss might be a winner choice…GO DAWGS!!
Injuries and coaching.
Also, isn’t that basically our entire OL? I hope Kirby has some bulldozers waiting in the wings.
I’ll add schedule to the mix. I thought coming into the season that we’d lose one, maybe two. Throw inconsistent coaching, lack of team leaders, and injuries into the mix, and here we are.
Hopefully last week lit a fire under their collective asses and we play like we’re capable from here on out. I think tomorrow may tell us something. If we sleepwalk through like we’d done against some others, I’ll be disappointed.
The Great Wall of Georgia Searles recruited in the last class
1) Injuries. Mykel was hurt in game 1. Tate missed the middle of the season. Smael missed significant time. Wilson missed several weeks. Etienne has been banged up.
2) The positions that are missing on that list. No draftable WR. The TE and RB are transfers that project in the 6th round. You have to have playmakers to make plays.
The TE question shouldn’t be about Yurosek … Delp and Luckie are the real playmakers at that position.
I would love to see Jalon Walker next year but he would be crazy to stay. Smael Mondon is the guy I feel kind of bad for. Unreal talent level and has just had horrible luck with injuries the last two years. Man in ‘22 he and Pop were something else. I would love to know what happened with Pop. That guy was the heart and soul of our defense. Watching CJ Alan this year it’s hard for me to imagine he was displacing Pop which is what was rumored. CJ is talented but Pop brought a meanness and intensity that CJ doesn’t seem to have.
Surely to goodness we get some better luck with injuries next year than we’ve had the last couple years. This year it seems like there hasn’t been a week where multiple guys didn’t get hurt.
Maybe it’s my imagination, but it seems like we’ve had an increasing number of injuries every year since Scott Cochrane left.
With so many running backs injured and/or not having a healthy big back to lean on, we’re pretty one dimensional. The run isn’t scaring folks as much as its there to keep the defense honest. That leaves us relying on a passing game that doesn’t have a bunch of high end talent. We don’t have a go to guy on the outside. All the pressure is on Carson to get us in the right play and throw an accurate ball to the right guy.
Right now our best identity is distributing the ball to 6-9 different guys none of whom has cost an opposing DC a nightmare.
If your opponent is reliant on the qb and you don’t have to fear the explosive run or the explosive deep ball, you spend all your time figuring out new and creative ways of affecting the qb. Its fucking hard to exploit that.
Its why Mike Leach never won shit.
Lots of passing leads to lots of three and longs lots of three and outs, longer games and defending more plays. In short, you look haphazard and leaking oil all the time because imposing your will just isn’t an option.
Kirby ball is 60 plays each, get a double digit lead by half, play keep away in the second half with an OL and rtdb, protect the defense and keep them fresh.
All that said, because we do have talent, if Carson throws it to our guys and they catch it, we still have a chance against anyone out there. If you’d like to see what this chuck and duck offense looks like without the sort of talent Kirby has recruited go back and check out 1993-1994 and 2009-2010.
Zeier and Cox and Murray will all tell you life in the sec ain’t easy when it all falls on your shoulders.
Derek,
Comment of the day.
Truth.
There it is. Kirby was forced to cut two starting WRs, Eitienne was never intended to be a singular solution, key injuries to both lines and I’m guessing a lack of clear team leadership coming out of Fall practice to boot. He won’t even be considered but this may be COTY caliber work from Kirby using duct tape and chicken wire to get them into the playoffs.
Downer Dawg here….
I see 5-6 of these cats as free-agents….assuming they test the waters.
There is NO WAY they are draft quality. And you know who they are as well as I do……
If my favorite team took Beck in the 1st round, I’d want the GM fired.
In that case, expect the Falcons to take him at about #15.
Lack of playmakers on offense, coupled with a qb who has had the yips at times, and a plague of drops, has made us very ineffective on offense at times. Offensive injuries haven’t helped. What’s the difference between this and last year: Bowers and McKonkey (not to mention Jacksaint, Milton, and Edwards). Dereks post is on point.
I agree that injuries and the schedule are the key reasons. That said, when the dust settles I don’t think Greene and Fairchild will go pro this year, Everette is way too high on that list which makes me think he returns too, and Truss won’t be drafted. So that leaves us with maybe 10 guys drafted, which fits our performance.
Also, no way Mondon isn’t a second day pick.
I can’t see Fairchild or Greene leaving based on their on-field performance this year. While injuries have certainly hurt us at the LOS – and this is a LOS league, our oline performance was questionable before the injury bug. I hope Searles is drafted to play elsewhere.
And as of today (11/22/24) UGA is bringing
in the #1 class for next year.
Kirby and his staff are the best without a doubt.