UGA breaks NFL draft records, Mercer star lands UDFA deal. Here is where they’ll play

The 2022 NFL Draft wrapped up on Saturday and the University of Georgia broke multiple draft records with its historic class.

Coming off of a national title victory, the Bulldogs won the draft as well with a record-breaking 15 players selected, including five in the first round.

It didn’t take long either for the first UGA player to come off the board as the Jaguars selected former Upson-Lee star Travon Walker with the No. 1 pick.

In addition to Walker, four other Georgia defensive players were taken in the first round including Jordan Davis, Lewis Cine, Devonte Wyatt and Quay Walker.

Mercer missed out on having its first-ever NFL draftee but offensive lineman Jason Poe did sign a deal with the San Francisco 49ers following the draft as an undrafted free agent. Poe wasn’t the only Middle Georgia player who inked a deal after the draft: Former Fort Valley State receiver Shemar Bridges signed with the Baltimore Ravens.

Here is a look at some of the key picks in this year’s class for Georgia.

Best fit: Zamir White, Raiders RB — The Raiders declined the fifth-year option on former Alabama running back Josh Jacobs. This means after this season the starting job could be White’s for the taking and he could press Jacobs for carries immediately.

White is a power runner much like Jacobs. He could prove to be a similar player with a much cheaper contract. White could become a star at the NFL level if given the opportunity.

Potential Rookie of the Year: George Pickens, Steelers WR — Travon Walker has a good chance to take home the hardware as the defensive rookie of the year but Pickens is a dark horse to emerge as the offensive rookie of the year.

Pickens lands in an ideal situation with tons of talent around him and a rookie quarterback in Kenny Pickett. The former Georgia star has a chance to move into a starting role immediately after the Steelers lost a pair of wide outs to free agents this offseason.

Biggest surprise: Nakobe Dean, Eagles LB — Coming into the draft, Dean looked like another potential first-rounder. But an injury saw the star linebacker fall out of the first two rounds before the Philadelphia Eagles snatched him up in the second round.

He will likely miss significant time this season with a pectoral injury but could be the steal of the draft. Dean will also be reunited with Jordan Davis, who was taken by the Eagles in the first round.

Below is a list of all the players with Georgia connections taken in the 2022 NFL draft or signed following the conclusion of the draft.

UGA

• Travon Walker, Edge: Jacksonville Jaguars, No. 1, First Round
• Jordan Davis, DL: Philadelphia Eagles, No. 13, First Round
  
  

• Quay Walker, LB: Green Bay, No. 22, First Round

• Devonte Wyatt, DL: Green Bay, No. 28, First Round

• Lewis Cine, S: Minnesota Vikings, No. 32, First Round

• George Pickens, WR: Pittsburgh Steelers, No. 52, Second Round

• James Cook, RB: Buffalo Bills, No. 63, Second Round

• Nakobe Dean, LB: Philadelphia Eagles, No. 83, Third Round

• Channing Tindall, LB: Miami Dolphins, No. 102, Third Round

• Zamir White, RB: Las Vegas Raiders, No. 122, Fourth Round
  
  
• Jake Camarda, P: Tampa Bay Buccaneers, No. 133, Fourth Round

• Justin Shaffer, OL: Atlanta Falcons, No. 190, Sixth Round

• Jamaree Salyer, OL: Los Angeles Chargers, No. 195, Sixth Round

• Derion Kendrick, CB: Los Angeles Chargers, No. 212, Sixth Round
• John FitzPatrick, TE: Atlanta Falcons, No. 213, Sixth Round

Mercer

• Jason Poe, OL: San Francisco 49ers, undrafted free agent.

Fort Valley State

• Shemar Bridges, WR: Baltimore Ravens, undrafted free agent.

Georgia Tech

• Tariq Carpenter, S: Green Bay Packers, No. 228, Seventh Round
• Juanyeh Thomas, S: Dallas Cowboys, undrafted free agent.
• Tre Swilling, CB: Tennessee Titans, undrafted free agent
• Kyric McGowan, WR: Washington Commanders, undrafted free agent
• Devin Cochran, OL: Cincinnati Bengals, undrafted free agent
• Jordan Mason, RB: San Francisco 49ers, undrafted free agent.

Georgia Southern

• Darrell Baker Jr., CB: Arizona Cardinals, undrafted free agent
• C.J Wright, DL: Jacksonville Jaguars, rookie camp invite

Georgia State

• Roger Carter, FB: Los Angeles Rams, undrafted free agent
• Chris Moore, S: Baltimore Ravens, undrafted free agent
• Shamarious Gilmore, OL: Seattle Seahawks, undrafted free agent.

This story was originally published April 28, 2022 at 3:06 PM.