John Atkins spent six years as an amateur football player. Now, it's off to the NFL 'to get some money'

Show John Atkins the money.

The gritty nose tackle, who came to Georgia as a member of the 2013 recruiting class, has been waiting a long time for this moment.

Following what was a standout senior season, Atkins has garnered attention from the NFL and has a good chance to be selected in its annual draft in late April. That is what he is hoping at least, so that his long amateur football career can come to a close with a sizable pay day.

“I’m trying to get some money,” Atkins said with a grin. “I want some money.”

Atkins committed to Georgia back in 2011. Upon graduating high school in 2012, however, Atkins spent a year at Hargrave Military Academy in Virginia before enrolling at Georgia in 2013. Following a redshirt year, Atkins then spent the next four years competing for the Bulldogs.

This past season, Atkins was one of the most valuable members of the defense without posting gaudy statistics. His responsibility wasn’t to accrue numerous tackles and sacks. Playing nose tackle, Atkins’ job was to take on double teams to free up plays for the inside linebackers.

In fact, Butkus Award winner Roquan Smith has Atkins to thank for many of the 137 tackles he was able to put next to his name on the stat sheet.

At Georgia’s pro day, Atkins was able to follow up his performance at the NFL combine with some position drills in front of the scouts and coaches who were in attendance. Working alongside only Trenton Thompson at pro day, Atkins was dripping sweat with how hard he went through the session.

“We didn’t have a break,” Atkins said.

With Atkins ready for the next phase of his career, he celebrated by adding a lot of ink on both of his arms. Having only a couple of tattoos previously, Atkins spent a recent Sunday in March making up for lost time. He added sleeves on both arms to commemorate meaningful moments that have happened to him throughout his life. All of the work was done at once, with Atkins admitting the pain that came along with it.

He had a mural drawn of “The Brickyard,” which the Thomson native said represents his hometown. He has two depictions of himself, one in his No. 77 high school jersey and the other in his No. 97 college uniform. He had a large tattoo commemorating Georgia’s Rose Bowl title, complete with the game’s trophy.

On his right arm, Atkins now has a tattoo devoted to his son, John Atkins Jr., a cross to signify his Christian beliefs and a quote that reads, “Only the strong survive.”

“I wanted to do something that was special to me,” Atkins said.

Atkins is going to be a tough one to replace on Georgia’s defensive front. A strong defensive presence as a player, Atkins was also one of the defense’s more vocal leaders.

Ready for the next stage of his career, Atkins is hoping an NFL team can use a someone who is more than ready to help a team win without needing the limelight. Thus far in the pre-draft process, Atkins has met with the New England Patriots, Detroit Lions, New York Giants and Los Angeles Rams.

“I’ll just happy with whoever picks me,” Atkins said. “They’re already talking, when I’ve been meeting with them, about technique and football. They’ve been impressed with what I can recite to them.”

This story was originally published March 31, 2018 at 10:22 AM with the headline "John Atkins spent six years as an amateur football player. Now, it's off to the NFL 'to get some money'."