The Ghosts of Draft Days Past

The NFL draft wrapped up Saturday with two Bulldogs taken in the seventh round, giving Georgia a total of five players selected in 2010. Rennie Curran was the first player taken from Georgia, and he want in Round 3, making it hardly the most star-studded group to enter the NFL from Athens.

Of course, that leads to the next question: Who was the best group of former Bulldogs to enter The League in one year?

I took a look back through the Mark Richt era (2002-2009 drafts) and reviewed the NFL careers of each. The results? Not too good, really. Judge for yourself...

2002 Draft (8)

Charles Grant (DE), Round 1 to the Saints
Will Witherspoon (LB), Round 3 to the Panthers
Randy McMichael (TE), Round 4 to the Dolphins
Terreal Bierria (S), Round 4 to the Seahawks
Jermaine Phillips (S), Round 5 to the Buccaneers
Verron Haynes (RB), Round 5 to the Steelers
Josh Mallard (DE), Round 7 to the Colts
Tim Wansley (CB), Round 7 to the Buccaneers

Results: Grant proved a worthy pick, making 38.5 sacks in his Saints career and winning a Super Bowl before being released this offseason. Witherspoon has made the rounds with the Panthers, Rams, Eagles and now the Titans, making 741 tackles and 20 sacks. McMichael is now with the Rams but had a successful stint with the Dolphins -- leading the team in receiving in 2004 with 791 yards. He started 80 straight games for Miami at one point and is the team's all time leading tight end in receptions and receiving yards. Bierria played three years in the NFL to little success. Haynes had a successful run as a back-up with the Steelers and played parts of last season with the Falcons. Mallard's career had few high points, but he did manage to stick in the league with six different teams through the 2008 season. Wansley played two seasons in Tampa, starting six games before being released. He bounced around practice squads and the CFL through 2005.

Highlight: Probably McMichael, who was among the top three or four tight ends in the league during his first five seasons in the league. Grant's success is also worth noting, as he ranks among the Saints' career sack leaders.

Lowlight: The biggest asterisk on what was a strong draft class belongs off the field. Grant was suspended by the NFL for a violation of the league's substance abuse policy. McMichael and Phillips both ran afoul of the law on charges of assaulting women, while Bierria was arrested in 2009 on murder charges.

Final Grade: The largest draft class under Richt was also its most successful at the next level. Still, the class was completely recruited by Jim Donnan, and the off-field problems mar what was a talented group... B+

2003 Draft (7)

Johnathan Sullivan (DT), Round 1 to the Saints
George Foster (OL), Round 1 to the Broncos
Boss Bailey (LB), Round 2 to the Lions
Jon Stinchcomb (OL), Round 2 to the Saints
Musa Smith (RB), Round 3 to the Ravens
Tony Gilbert (LB), Round 6 to the Cardinals
JT Wall (FB), Round 7 to the Steelers

Results: Sullivan played three seasons with the Saints with minimal success before begin dealt to New England. The Pats released him midseason. Foster's career started well with Denver. He started all 16 games his first two seasons before being dealt to Detroit in 2007. He played sparingly there and was released after the 2008 season. Bailey didn't live up to the legacy of his brother, Champ, but has enjoyed a solid NFL career, making 88 tackles as a rookie and playing five years in Detroit before signing with Denver. He was released by the Broncos before last season. Stinchcomb has been an anchor of the Saints' line since being drafted and helped them win a Super Bowl in 2010. Smith was a solid backup in Baltimore for five seasons before signing with the Jets, who released him prior to the 2008 season. Gilbert never played for the Cards but spent five seasons in Jacksonville and has played the last two seasons with the Falcons. Wall never played a down in the NFL.

Highlight: No question it's Stinchcomb, who has been a cornerstone of the Saints' revitalization and the lone Pro Bowler of the group. As a sixth-rounder, Gilbert has outperformed his draft status as well.

Lowlight: The first-rounders flamed out in ugly fashion. Neither Sullivan, who was also arrested in June 2006 on marijuana charges, nor Foster developed into a consistent talent and both are out of the league now.

Final Grade: Stinchcomb's consistency, Gilbert's contribution and Bailey's early career provide this class with some highlights, but there's no ignoring how poorly the top end performed… B-

2004 Draft (4)

Ben Watson (TE), Round 1 to the Patriots
Sean Jones (S), Round 2 to the Browns
Robert Geathers (DE), Round 4 to the Bengals
Bruce Thornton (CB), Round 4 to the Cowboys

Results: After spending much of his rookie year injured, Watson was a consistent performer for the Patriots for the next five seasons, helping to win a Super Bowl and was part of the New England team that finished the regular season undefeated. He signed a three-year contract with Cleveland this offseason. Jones was hurt for much of his rookie season, too, but by Year 3 he was the starter, making 111 tackles and five INTs and followed that with a similar performance in 2007. In 2009 he signed with the Eagles and then signed with the Bucs this offseason. Geathers has been a consistent contributor for the Bengals since being drafted, including making a career high 10.5 sacks in 2006. Thornton bounced around the NFL and CFL, starting 11 games for San Francisco in 2005, but is currently out of football.

Highlight: Watson has a Super Bowl title to his credit and was a steal as the final pick in the first round for the Pats.

Lowlight: I suppose Thornton, who never truly developed, but fourth-round picks aren't exactly projected as Pro Bowlers either.

Final Grade: This ties for the smallest draft class of the Richt era, but there was plenty of talent. None of the four went on to become superstars, but the first three have enjoyed solid careers and Thornton at least hung around the league for a few years… B

2005 Draft (6)

Thomas Davis (S), Round 1 to the Panthers
David Pollack (DE), Round 1 to the Bengals
Reggie Brown (WR), Round 2 to the Eagles
Odell Thurman (LB), Round 2 to the Bengals
David Greene (QB), Round 3 to the Seahawks
Fred Gibson (WR), Round 4 to the Steelers

Results: Davis hasn't reached star status in the NFL, but after moving to linebacker with Carolina, he's shown flashes of brilliance. He has 390 career tackles -- including 113 in 2008 -- and after a strong start to the 2009 season was hurt and missed the final 8 games of the year. Pollack's career was cut short by a terrifying neck injury after a little more than a year in the league. Brown's first three years in the NFL were promising, as he caught 43 passes for 571 yards, 46 for 816 in 2006 and 61 for 780 in 2007. In 2008, he took a major step back, however, and after catching just nine passes last year, he was dealt to Tampa Bay. Thurman's career began with immense promise in Cincinnati. He made 98 tackles as a rookie and was in the conversation for defensive rookie of the year honors. Things quickly went awry for the troubled Thurman, however. He was suspended for four games for a violation of the league's substance abuse policy in 2006, then was arrested on DUI charges and suspended for the remainder of the season. Allegations of assault were levied against Thurman a year later, though he wasn't charged, and when he was reinstated by the NFL, Bengals' coach Marvin Lewis was displeased with Thurman's efforts and he was released. In 2008, Thurman was indicted on assault charges and is currently serving an indefinite suspension by the league. Greene never threw a pass in the NFL and retired following the 2008 season after spending time with four teams in four years. Gibson went to camp with three teams before calling it quits and later played in the NBA's developmental league.

Highlight: Davis has the most upside of the group and could still develop into a Pro Bowl caliber linebacker. To date, Brown's exceptional first three seasons probably rank as the highlight, however.

Lowlight: Hard to pick one. For such a talented class -- probably the best of any year under Richt -- there has been little in the way of accomplishments for a myriad of reasons. No player did less with his talent than Thurman, who threw away a promising career because of off-field problems. Greene certainly had the potential to develop into a solid QB but wasn't interested in waiting around for his shot with yet another team. But the true lowlight is no doubt Pollack, whose neck injury was among the most frightening and unfortunate in recent NFL history, leaving Georgia fans to only wonder what might have been for him.

Final Grade: It's hard to know what to make of this class. Certainly they didn't live up to their potential, but while Thurman's troubles were of his own making and Brown's career went into free fall, Greene's career was cut short as much by his own choice as the lack of ability and Pollack's was ended through injury. But the bottom line is this was probably the most talented class of the Richt years and there's nothing close to a Pro Bowl bid to show for it… D+

2006 Draft (7)

Tim Jennings (CB), Round 2 to the Colts
Leonard Pope (TE), Round 3 to the Cardinals
Max Jean-Gilles (OL), Round 4 to the Eagles
Greg Blue (S), Round 5 to the Vikings
DeMario Minter (CB), Round 5 to the Browns
Kedric Golston (DT), Round 6 to the Redskins
DJ Shockley (QB), Round 7 to the Falcons

Results: Jennings appeared in 53 games -- starting 21 -- for the Colts in four seasons, making 161 tackles and four INTs before signing with the Bears this offseason. Pope was full of promise and had his moments during a three-year career in Arizona, catching five TDs in 2007. His work ethic and occasional mental lapses left the Cardinals frustrated, however, and he was waived in September. He signed with Kansas City for the 2009 season and caught 20 passes -- the second most of his career -- for 174 yards and a TD. Jean-Gilles has spent the past four seasons with the Eagles, appearing in 29 games with 16 starts, including the final six last season. Blue started two games for the Vikings as a rookie but was released after the season. He played the 2007 season with Detroit, but was again released at year's end. He is currently in the CFL. A knee injury cost Minter his rookie season and the Browns released him in 2007 before he played a game. He spent time in camp with Kansas City and Arizona during the next three years and is currently a free agent. Golston has played in 60 games with Washington, including 30 starts. He finished 2009 with 34 tackles and two sacks. Shockley has been a reserve and scout-teamer with Atlanta since being drafted, and a knee injury likely cost him his best shot at a regular job in 2007.

Highlight: Golston has never developed into a star, but for a sixth-round pick, he's been a consistent contributor for the Redskins. Jean-Gilles has also continued to develop and appears to be a more integral part of the Eagles' future.

Lowlight: Pope had an NFL skill set from the day he arrived in Athens, but his inconsistency in Arizona prevented him from developing into a star. He may still have a chance to blossom, but the luster has worn off of a once promising career.

Final Grade: Solid if unspectacular probably is the best way to describe this class. Jennings, Pope, Jean-Gilles and Golston have all had their moments of success in the NFL, and Shockley has at the very least helped to mentor future star Matt Ryan in Atlanta. There are no stars here -- not even close really -- but there are at least a handful of players who have survived in the NFL… C

2007 Draft (5)

Quentin Moses (DE), Round 3 to the Raiders
Charles Johnson (DE), Round 3 to the Panthers
Martrez Milner (TE), Round 4 to the Falcons
Ken Shackleford (OL), Round 6 to the Rams
Paul Oliver (CB), Supplemental to the Chargers

Results: The Raiders released Moses before training camp had ended, although it's hard to make much sense of what the Raiders were doing during those years. He then went to Arizona but was released again a few months later. He finally landed with Miami, where he has earned occasional playing time. Johnson emerged in his second season as a solid pass rusher for Carolina, and has 50 tackles and 10 sacks in the past two seasons. Milner bounced around the league with the Giants, Jets and Saints after being released by Atlanta in September 2008 and has nine catches for his career. Shackleford spent 2007 in St. Louis before being released and playing part of 2008 with Kansas City. He's currently playing indoor football. Grades forced Oliver out a year early, where San Diego took him in the supplemental draft. He came on strong in 2009, making 49 tackles and one interception.

Highlight: Probably Johnson, who should see more playing time this year with the departure of Julius Peppers. Still, there's not much from this class to be excited about yet.

Lowlight: Easily Moses, who had he left after his junior season might have been a first-round selection. Instead, he was cut twice by September of his rookie year.

Final Grade: The future still has promise for Johnson and Oliver, but the rest of the class looks like a bust, which is problematic considering the potential for Milner and Moses to develop… D

2008 Draft (4)

Marcus Howard (DE), Round 5 to the Colts
Thomas Brown (RB), Round 6 to the Falcons
Chester Adams (OL), Round 7 to the Bears
Brandon Coutu (K), Round 7 to the Seahawks

Results: Howard had just 14 tackles for Indy in 2008 and didn't play at all in 2009. He signed a deal with Tennessee in January. Brown has yet to see action in an NFL game after an injury cost him his rookie campaign. He was released by Atlanta prior to the 2009 season and inked a deal with Cleveland last November. Adams and Coutu have never seen action in an NFL game and both have been released by their original teams. Coutu had a try-out with Atlanta last season but is currently a free agent.

Highlight: There really isn't one other than to say that the low number of departures from Georgia's 2007 team set the stage for the Bulldogs' No. 1 ranking to open the 2008 season. Of course, that didn't work out so well either.

Lowlight: Four players drafted, only one has seen action, and that was minimal. It's all been lowlights so far.

Final Grade: Nothing good to say about this group, although Coutu could still catch on somewhere, and Brown could develop into a solid special teams performer. So while there's still some time for these guys to resurrect their careers, hard to say anything but... F

2009 Draft (6)

Matthew Stafford (QB), Round 1 to the Lions
Knowshon Moreno (RB), Round 1 to the Broncos
Mohamed Massaquoi (WR), Round 2 to the Browns
Asher Allen (CB), Round 3 to the Vikings
Corvey Irvin (DT), Round 3 to the Panthers
Jarius Wynn (DE), Round 6 to the Packers

Results: Obviously the jury is still out on each of these guys, but Stafford endeared himself to his teammates with a gritty performance as a rookie, Moreno topped 900 yards rushing on a mediocre team, and Massaquoi proved to be a consistent weapon for a bad Browns team. Irvin was on IR for much of his rookie campaign while Allen saw occasional playing time in Minnesota.

Highlight: Perhaps the biggest Year 1 success story comes from a guy who wasn't even drafted. Dannell Ellerbe went without a phone call on draft weekend, but he signed a free agent deal with Baltimore and by year's end was in the Ravens' starting lineup alongside Ray Lewis, making 41 tackles and intercepting one pass for a team that made the playoffs. Stafford, Moreno and Massaquoi all had highlights throughout the year, too.

Lowlight: Hard to pick on anyone at this point, but given Irvin's surprisingly high draft status, it was unfortunate to see him miss the season with injury.

Final Grade: It's hard to put a grade on a class that has just one year of experience, but given Stafford's upside, Moreno's potential, Massaquoi's development and Ellerbe's surprise efforts, odds are this class could have a pretty solid grade by the time it's all over -- perhaps among the best of the Richt years.

***

Final thoughts:

Looking back, it's definitely a bit unsettling how many more busts there were than success stories. Of the 47 players selected during Richt's time at Georgia (not counting this year's draft) I count just one Pro Bowl appearance* -- Jon Stinchcomb's this year.

(* - my research was hardly thorough, so I could be wrong on this. Feel free to point out anyone I might have missed.)

In addition, while the 2009 draft class still looks like it could be a particularly good one, you'd have to go back to 2004 to find another class that has shown any significant success at the next level. While several players like Pollack and Thurman had a chance to be very good NFL players, their careers were cut short (albeit for very different reasons) and while some late-round fliers like Ellerbe, Golston and Jean-Gilles have shown some potential, none have blossomed into stars.

In nine drafts, Richt has helped 52 players get selected by NFL teams, and that's a solid recruiting tool. But of those 52, there isn't a future Hall-of-Famer among them -- not even close actually. Worse yet, the best classes were primarily recruited by Donnan and played during Richt's early years.

So what I think the most important thing to take from this exercise is that Richt probably benefits quite a bit from the continued development of the 2009 class. If Stafford, Moreno and Massaquoi can become Pro Bowl performers, all is probably forgiven -- both from fans and on the recruiting trail. But if two of those three flame out, it's far from the most attractive track record in recent years.

UPDATE: Courtesy of our pal Jim F., here's an intersting article from the Shreveport Times on how LSU players have fared of late in the NFL.

Georgia Draft Wrap-Up

A few quick thoughts on the draft...

-- I joked on Twitter that I thought the Eagles were getting the steal of the draft with Jeff Owens, but that could turn out to be prophetic. I'm at a loss to explain how a guy who was dominant at both the Senior Bowl and combine still had lingering questions about his health, but that seemed to be the case. Here's what ESPN wrote of the pick:

"Owens has great size but has had some durability issues in the past. He has the strength to anchor on the inside for an Eagles' line that is lacking depth."

So he has great size and strength and fits a big need, but he has "durability issues?" Owens was hurt just once, and while it was a serious injury, he came back and played all of last season without any lingering problems. Sounds pretty nitpicky to me, so I'm thrilled to see my favorite team grab him late.

-- By the way, my Eagles went very SEC heavy: Trevard Lindley, Riley Cooper, Charles Scott, Jamar Chaney and Owens.

-- And no, I won't be investing in a Riley Cooper jersey.

-- On the other hand, I'm begging my buddy who is a Bills fan to purchase an Ed Wang jersey.

-- Rennie Curran went in Round 3, and that's probably about right. For everyone who said he should have stuck around, this was probably the best he could do regardless. So the question then was whether Curran wanted to leave and get a jump start on his pro career or stay in college one more season. Read his answer about that later in this post.

-- Reshad Jones, on the other hand, probably could have made himself some money by playing a year under Scott Lakatos. Jones told me earlier in the week he was expecting second or third round -- and truth be told, that's where most draft projections had him. So the fifth round had to be a bit of a disappointment, and I think his inconsistent play at Georgia was what hurt him. A year of consistent success could have helped.

-- Say what you will about the talent level at Georgia, but to have three defensive tackles drafted in the same year isn't something you'll see often.

-- Mike Moore might have been a bit disappointed to go undrafted, but that was an uphill climb to begin with. In the end, he may have lucked out. Rather than get stuck as a minor cog for whichever team might have taken him in the draft's latter stages, he'll now be working with his old quarterback in Detroit. And that's a franchise that has a lot riding on Matthew Stafford's success, so if Staff thinks Moore deserves a spot on the roster, that's an opinion that should carry some weight.

-- Bryan Evans signed as a free agent with the Bengals and Prince Miller inked a deal with the Ravens. You can see all of the 2010 undrafted free agent signings HERE.

-- Overall, things could have been better for Georgia. Last year, Atkins may have been a first-rounder, and Jones and Owens didn't go as early as most fans hoped. But that's probably to be expected coming off a down year -- particularly for the defense -- at Georgia.

-- Aside from Clint Boling, there doesn't appear to be a lot of seniors in the class of 2011 at Georgia poised for a lot of draft-day buzz, but it'll be interesting to see how the junior class progresses. With good seasons, Justin Houston, Brandon Boykin, Caleb King and several others could all spark some interest from NFL teams. And, of course, A.J. Green should be high up on 32 draft boards next spring.

***

A few tidbits, courtesy of the SEC…

-- The SEC had 49 players selected in the 2010 NFL Draft. The number represents the most SEC players ever taken in the NFL Draft.

-- The SEC had the most players taken among conferences in the draft. Behind the SEC’s 49 selections were the Big Ten (34), ACC (31), Big 12 (30) and Pac-10 (29).

-- Since 1990, the SEC has had 782 total selections in the NFL Draft, an average of 37.2 selections per year. The Big Ten is second with 672 selections.

-- Since 1997, the SEC has had 552 total selections in the NFL Draft, an average of 39.4 selections per year.

-- The SEC has now led or tied for the most selections in the NFL Draft for 11 of the last 13 seasons and the last four drafts.

-- All 12 SEC schools had at least one player selected in the draft. The numbers alphabetically: Alabama (7), Arkansas (1), Auburn (2), Florida (9), Georgia (5), Kentucky (3), LSU (6), Ole Miss (4), Mississippi State (2), South Carolina (2), Tennessee (6), Vanderbilt (2).

-- The SEC had at least five players taken in every round of this season’s draft. The league had eight players taken in rounds 2-3-5, seven players taken in rounds 1-4, six players in round 7 and five players in round 6.

-- There have been 67 first round SEC selections in last 10 drafts, an average 6.7 per year. The most by the SEC was 11 in the 2007 draft. The lowest in the last 10 drafts was four in 2003 and 2006.

-- The SEC has had at least seven players taken in the first round in back-to-back drafts (8 in 2009 and 7 in 2010).

-- Since conference expansion in 1992, the SEC has had 114 players taken in the first round of the NFL Draft, an average of 6.3 per year.

-- The SEC has had five picks in the top 20 of the first round four years in a row.

-- Since 2004, the SEC has had 32 players taken in the first 18 picks of the first round.

-- In the last eight NFL drafts, 11 of 12 SEC teams had at least one player go in the top 11 of the first round.

-- The SEC has had 3 of the top 8 picks in NFL draft for 4th straight year and 5 of last 6 years.

***

You can read my draft story in today's Telegraph HERE.

And here are a majority of the quotes I got from Georgia's drafted players after their selections. Unfortunately, Reshad Jones is no longer returning my calls....

Geno Atkins on getting the call...
"It was kind of surreal. I'd just left the house to go to my grandma's house and I got a call from the head coach of the Cincinnati Bengals. He called me up to say I was the 120th pick of the draft, and I was like, wow. It was a surreal moment because I finally got drafted, but I didn't get to see my name go up or anything like that."

Atkins on going to Cincinnati...
"I'm very excited. I'm looking forward to doing some big things there and helping contribute to the team in any way possible. I'm really excited now that I finally know where I'm going."

Atkins on how he fits the Bengals' D...
"I think I fit in pretty well. I think what Cincinnati liked about me was my speed, my quickness, how I use my leverage, my strength and stuff like that. So I think I fit in pretty well with their defense."

Rennie Curran on the aftermath of his selection...
“My phone just exploded when my name came up on the screen and people found out I’d been drafted. My Facebook exploded, my Twitter exploded, everything. My family when crazy, everybody crying and praying. I had like 200 text messages on my phone.”

Curran on getting the call...
“It was an awesome moment. We had been watching the draft since like 6:00, and everybody was tired, everybody was worn out, eyes getting heavy just waiting on that call, and it kept getting close to the end of that round, and it was looking like I was going to get drafted on Saturday. All of a sudden I saw that 615 number, and it was the best thing I’ve ever seen.”

Curran on Jeff Fisher's message to him...
“I talked to Coach Fisher and he said he expects me to come in and contribute and be a great player for them.”

Curran on how he fits in the Titans' D...
“I fit in perfectly. They run a lot of the same schemes that we run, it’s just a different terminology. They run a lot of the same coverages, same technique, same everything pretty much. So overall I feel really good.”

Curran on his expectations...
“I’m going to contribute. I’m not going there to be a special teams player. I’m trying to get on the field just like I did at Georgia – right away.”

Curran on whether being taken in Round 3 justified leaving early...
“A lot of people were saying he won’t go until the fourth round or fifth round or he might not get drafted. A lot of people had negative things to say, saying he should have come back. I’ve read the articles. I’m real glad I went. I miss being at Georgia, miss my teammates, but I’m glad I made the decision I made. And it feels good being a father knowing I can take care of my daughter and provide for her and help my family get back on their feet. I’m just excited about my future, and I’m definitely going to go back and get my degree. I’ll do whatever it takes to get that. It’s important to me. But for now, I think if I have a great career, I can play for 10 years and establish myself for the rest of my life playing the game that I love.”

Jeff Owens on the long wait to be drafted...
“I just wanted to make sure that if any team called me, tell them if you pick me, you won’t regret it. I’m just glad that Philly picked me when they did.”

Owens on his contact with Philly...
“The first time they called me, the defensive line coach called me and told me he wanted to take me, but he didn’t have the final say so. He liked what he saw on film, and he said I’d have a chance to come in and compete. Then he called back again and said he was going to take me. Then I heard from Coach Andy Reid and I’m glad to be a Philadelphia Eagle.”

Owens on playing with Jamar Chaney, who was also drafted by the Eagles...
“We originally signed at Georgia together. Things didn’t work out and he had to go to Mississippi State. I guess we’re supposed to finally get a chance to play together.”

Owens on what his feelings were during the draft...
“Well it was stressful, but I’m just glad that it’s over. I wondered why it was taking so long to go off the board, but I guess a bunch of teams were still worried about the knee injury. I thought that was in the past. I’ve been healthy from that. Now I’m just trying to go out and show I can play in the NFL.”

Owens on his contact with Kade Weston...
“We talked twice. He called me and we talked about a second. Then he hung up with me, and it was the Patriots calling to draft him.”

Kade Weston on his long wait...
“Getting to the end was the toughest part. At first, I was like, if I don’t get drafted, worst case I still can make a team and have to work hard. But the worst part is when teams start calling and tell you to look out for your name. We have this pick and if you’re still available, we’ll get you. But then you see them take other guys. A couple teams called and then took other D tackles. That was the frustrating part.”

Weston on how he fits in New England's D...
“I feel like I’ll fit in good. They were saying stuff about technique, but I’ll line and play in whatever they want to do. It’s a great franchise, so I’m pretty excited.”

Weston on moving to New England...
“It’s not that new. My parents stay up in New York, so I’m accustomed to the North.”

Weston on his contact with Geno Atkins...
“It’s funny because I was talking to Geno right after he got drafted, and we were talking about all those situations, talking about when we first got to Georgia."

Weston on if he's looked ahead to see when he'll play against Owens or Atkins...
"When I get off the phone, I’m going to be doing that.”

Weston on actually getting the call from New England...
“It was great. My agent, it was just getting down to the end, and a lot of teams were calling about me. My agent called and said, OK, worst case scenario, we like the Giants roster and Houston’s roster, because they’re not as loaded and there’s a better chance to make the team. Then I had to put him on hold, and it was the Patriots.”

Delivering on Draft Day

It's not likely Georgia will have a player go in the first round this year, although as many as six or seven players could go in later rounds. I'll have more on that tomorrow and Thursday.

But I did find this note over at Chris Low's SEC blog pretty interesting. Here's the breakdown on how many first-round picks have come from each school during the past decade:

Georgia -- 10
Tennessee -- 10
Florida -- 9
LSU -- 9
Arkansas -- 6
Auburn -- 6
Ole Miss -- 6
South Carolina -- 4
Alabama -- 3
Vanderbilt -- 2
Kentucky -- 1

Of course, Florida and Tennessee will be adding to those totals this year, so the list will look a good bit different as we preview the 2011 draft. But still... producing an average of a first-round pick every year has to be something recruits find awfully appealing.

Odds and Ends

I've been out of town all week (and actually, for the better part of the past month) so a few things happened that I didn't get around to commenting on immediately. Rather than write up long responses to each issue, I figured a quick (OK, not so quick) around the horn might suffice...

-- Big thanks to ESPN's Chris Low for linking to my post on returning offensive production in the SEC this week. One of his commenters, however, wondered why I ranked the schools by percentage of returning offense rather than gross production. The answer is that I was curious about both, but assumed you could eyeball the gross numbers easier than the percentages. But, since it was asked, here's a quick rundown of the rankings based on yardage returning for 2009.

Receiving Yards

Arkansas, 2999
LSU, 2580
Alabama, 2098
Ole Miss, 2091
Kentucky, 1880
Georgia, 1775
Florida, 1596
S. Carolina, 1370
Miss St, 1354
Auburn, 1212
Tennessee, 1066
Vanderbilt, 725

Rushing Yards

Florida, 2414
Ole Miss, 2331
LSU, 2011
Arkansas, 1362
Auburn, 1317
Alabama, 1208
Kentucky, 1204
Miss. St., 1192
Vanderbilt, 940
Tennessee, 500
S. Carolina, 499
Georgia, 479

-- I ran into Andrew Williams last night. He said he's been working in an advisory capacity with Knowshon Moreno and is planning to move out to Denver with him. No deal done yet for Knowshon with the Broncos, but Drew said they're not too far apart.

-- The MLB draft reminded me what a joke the NCAA is. This had already been on my mind, but then ESPN's Jemele Hill wrote a fantastic column about it. Why is it that a baseball player can be drafted and then return to school, but the same isn't true for basketball or football players? Why are baseball players allowed to sign right out of high school but basketball and football players are not? Why is it that a baseball player can sign a contract, play professionally, but still return to school and participate in another sport, but something as petty as extra textbooks or attending a high school graduation are violations in football?

Hill argues, quite rightly, that it's all about money for the NCAA, which seems a bit ironic since the NCAA flips out whenever a player or his family receives a dime for their work. And chalk this up in the "I'm not sayin', I'm just sayin'" category, but here's the racial breakdown in college sports: Football, 51 percent minorities. Basketball, 67 percent minorities. Baseball, 19 percent minorities. Oh, and as for the high-level "decision maker" jobs in the NCAA... the Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sports estimates that as much as 97 percent of those gigs belong to white people.

-- Bleacher Report stirred up some controversy this week with a story criticizing Georgia strength and conditioning coach Dave Van Halanger. I'd love to link to it for you to read firsthand, but Bleacher Report -- the bastion of journalistic integrity that it is -- deleted the story from its site already.

Nevertheless, the AJC's Bill King linked to it earlier this week, which drew plenty of comments from his readers.

Now, I'm not in any way endorsing the Bleacher Report story which was essentially no more than one man's opinion, but I don't think there's anything wrong with bringing up a topic of debate and challenging the status quo a little. And after talking to one NFL talent evaluator (who asked that his name not be used), I found there was at least a little bit of legitimacy to the story. He said several NFL people feel that Georgia's strength and conditioning program has "the wrong emphasis" and players from the Mark Richt/Bobby Bowden/Chuck Amato coaching tree have entered the league "undisciplined and not well prepared."

Is there reason to believe the critique? Potentially. Here's a bit of analysis of Mark Richt's draft classes done by reader Jim Franklin back in April examining the early selections of UGA players by year...

Year	Round	Player
2008	5 (161)	Marcus Howard
2007	3 (51)	Quentin Moses
2006	2 (30)	Tim Jennings
2005	1 (14)	Thomas Davis
2005	1 (17)	David Pollack
2005	2 (35)	Reggie Brown
2005	2 (48)	Odell Thurman
2005	3 (85)	David Greene
2005	4 (131)	Fred Gibson
2004	1 (32)	Ben Watson
2003	1 (6)	Johnathan Sullivan
2003	1 (20)	George Foster
2003	2 (34)	Boss Bailey
2003	2 (37)	Jon Stinchcomb
2002	1 (25)	Charles Grant

(By year, Georgia had four players taken in 2008, four in 2007, seven in 2006, six in 2005, four in 2004, seven in 2003 and eight in 2002.)

Obviously the 2009 draft turned around the recent trend illustrated in the statistics above with four Georgia players being selected in the first three rounds, including two of the top 12 overall. But if you look at those high draft picks from 2002-08, there's a pretty fair number of busts (at least by NFL standards) in there, too.

The case could also be made that there has to be a reason for all the injuries last year, although I'm not sure any explanation given could be specifically traced back to the strength and conditioning staff, particularly since the injury bug had never been that bad in the past.

Now, the other side of the coin: At the start of the 2006 season, Georgia was tied for third with 36 former players on NFL rosters, and at least a half-dozen more will be added to the mix in 2009. (Also of note, Bobby Bowden's boys have the second most players in the NFL). So if NFL folks are so displeased with the preparation of Richt's players, why are they so prevalent on NFL rosters?

Of course, success in your S&C program isn't all about putting players in the pros either. At least ostensibly, it's about winning in college, and few people have done a better job of that than Van Halanger. His teams have made it to a bowl game for 28 straight seasons, an unofficial record among college coaches as far as Van Halanger knows.

The Bleacher Report story discusses Georgia's defensive woes as the product of poor conditioning, but that seems like an odd critique. For one, no amount of conditioning teaches Reshad Jones to wrap up on a tackle (and, in truth, it's probably time I stop picking on Reshad, too). No strength program will keep Jarius Wynn from hitting the quarterback late or ensure that the defensive ends can handle a cut block. Plus, if Van Halanger's preparation caused the defense to suffer last season, then why was Georgia's offense so good? Both sets of players are trained by the same staff.

Again, I don't think there's anything wrong with having the discussion about Georgia's conditioning program, but until a former player or two speaks on the record saying they were ill prepared for life in the NFL (or games on Saturdays during their college careers) I'm inclined to think Van Halanger and his staff are doing as good a job as anyone.

-- Lots of questions about the new deal with ISP Sports that Georgia just signed. I'll have a more detailed story in the next few days (I'm just starting to sift through a mountain of information on it) but here are a few tidbits I got from ISP's general manager in Athens, Jeff Huffman...

On changes to the UGA Web site...
"We're going to re-launch our site this year. We're making improvements to it to make it more cutting-edge, offer our fans something that they've never had access to before. That's our biggest investment from an upgrade standpoint. We're going to invest a lot of resources into making that a real fan-friendly place."

On the all-important upgrades to the game tracker software at GeorgiaDogs.com...
"That's in discussions right now. We're working to improve all facets of our Web site and that is a piece that we're obviously looking to upgrade."

On when the new Web features might be available...
"We're shooting for a target date of the end of August. We want to have it up and ready to go so people can get acclimated with it and have time to learn and have it ready before we kick off (for football). This is something that's been in the works for several months now, so we didn't just start on it."

On the TV side of things, including the coach's show...
"We're going to introduce new programming which will be unveiled in the next several months. With the coach's show, the biggest thing is distribution. We're working to make sure if you want to be able to watch the coach's show, you can find it. We're also going to upgrade just the overall look and feel of the show. This new media team that we have in place, they will be not only working for our Web site, but they'll be shooting game-day activities, working with the coaches behind the scenes, shooting the coach's show. We've got the HD equipment and the necessary tools to be able to produce a first-rate quality program."

On who'll be doing the radio broadcasts...
"Scott Howard will be our play-by-play man and Eric (Zeier) will continue to be our color analyst for football broadcasts. The other positions that we have from a sideline perspective, from a pregame show, from some of the ancillary programming that we have with this new hour, we're working closely with UGA to determine who those talents are going to be, but we haven't released that yet."

-- I wanted to wish a happy father's day to all the dads out there and remind you that Mark Richt will be hosting the All-Pro Dad event tomorrow if you can make it.

-- And finally, I made a bit of a big deal over a comment by Rivals' Radi Nabulsi on UGASports.com's messsage board over the weekend. I received emails from both Radi and Anthony Dasher explaining their side of the situation, and in fairness to them, I thought it was important to publicly note that we've cleared things up and there are no hard feelings on my part. I highly doubt any of you really cared, but since I called them out on the blog, I figured I should be as up front with the results.

OK, that's it for now. Have a great weekend!

Record 11 Dawgs Drafted

Georgia senior pitcher Will Harvil (32nd round), junior catcher Joey Lewis (41st) and junior pitcher Justin Earls (47th) were selected on the final day of the Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft on Thursday, bringing the total number of Bulldogs drafted to a school-record 11.

I'm pretty surprised that Lewis went so late, but the 11 total players is a pretty impressive tally. Here's the rundown of each pick...

Bulldogs in the 2009 MLB Draft
51. Rich Poythress (Seattle Mariners, 2nd Round)
81. Trevor Holder (Washington Nationals, 3rd Round)
202. Dean Weaver (Washington Nationals, 7th Round)
383. Matt Cerione (Seattle Mariners, 13th Round)
506. Jeff Walters (Baltimore Orioles, 17th Round)
771. Michael Demperio (Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, 25th Round)
787. Alex McRee (Los Angeles Dodgers, 26th Round)
901. Bryce Massanari (Colorado Rockies, 30th Round)
966. Will Harvil (Arizona Diamondbacks, 32nd Round)
1232. Joey Lewis (Kansas City Royals, 41st Round)
1405. Justin Earls (Pittsburgh Pirates, 47th Round)

Six More Dawgs Drafted

From UGA Athletics...

Georgia junior pitcher Dean Weaver, junior outfielder Matt Cerione, junior pitcher Jeff Walters, junior infielder Michael Demperio, junior pitcher Alex McRee and senior catcher/designated hitter Bryce Massanari were selected on the second day of the Major League Baseball Draft on Wednesday.

Weaver was taken in the seventh round by the Washington Nationals, Cerione in the 13th round by the Seattle Mariners, Walters in the 17th round by the Baltimore Orioles, Demperio in the 25th round by the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, McRee in the 26th round by the Los Angeles Dodgers and Massanari in the 30th round by the Colorado Rockies.

A record total of eight Bulldogs have been drafted in the first 30 rounds. The First-Year Player draft will conclude with the final 20 rounds on Thursday.

Big Day for Diamond Dogs

The Diamond Dogs had two players -- first baseman Rich Poythress and pitcher Trevor Holder -- taken on Day 1 of the MLB draft yesterday. They were available to the media today, and here's some of what they had to say...

Trevor Holder, who was selected in the third round by the Washington Nationals

On his thoughts on being drafted...
"Obviously I'm extremely excited and I'm really happy for Rich. It's just a tremendous honor. I've loved the four years I've been at Georgia. It's meant the world to me, and I couldn't have gotten here without the help of everybody at Georgia. It's been a fun ride, and I'm excited about the next step."

On how he found out he had been drafted...
"I was actually sitting around watching the Lakers game and all of a sudden I got a call from my mom and she was crying. I honestly thought she was calling to tell me about Rich getting drafted, and I was like 'Mom, Rich got picked a while ago. What are you crying about?' And then my phone just started ringing off the hook and I got steady text messages. I was really planning on going today when they do the later rounds. I honestly had no idea. I couldn't stop smiling the whole day."

On what he thinks allowed him to move up from a 10th-round pick last year to the third round this season...
"A couple different things. Not getting injured toward the end of the year and staying strong through the end of the year really helped. I got that start at the end of the year in the SEC tournament when a bunch of scouts were there. I think being a senior really helped, too, just because of who they picked in the first round, they're going to be spending a lot of money, and I'm sure they didn't want to pick someone else who's going to hold out, who's younger and has more leverage to hold out and get more money. That's not the case with me. I want to go play, and I'm extremely happy about this opportunity."

Rich Poythress, who was selected in the second round by the Seattle Mariners...

On his thoughts on being drafted...
"I got to wake up this morning and have the opportunity of a lifetime, so I'm ecstatic. I couldn't be happier for Trevor. He's one of the best teammates I've ever played with. The opportunity that both of us are going to get is awesome. It's still a little bit of a surreal feeling and it probably hasn't sunk in all the way, but hopefully both of us can get all the other stuff worked out and we can go play ball, which is what we're best at."

On where he was for the draft...
"Me and my family actually drove up to Joey Lewis' lake house. We kind of wanted to get away and we wanted to be able to watch it on TV. In Grovetown, it's kind of sad, you can't get MLB network. So I guess they'll work on that. But I just hung around with family and friends, and as fun as it was, I'm kind of glad it's over and to see what happened."

On whether he has spoken with Josh Fields, the former Georgia closer who is also in the Seattle organization...
"I got to talk to Fields last night. He gave me a call sometime around midnight and spoke to him for a few minutes. We didn't really get too much into it. I've been in touch with Seattle for the last few weeks and going into yesterday, that's the team I wanted to go to. It's a great organization. They're very goal-oriented on winning. It's a great opportunity to move up through a system if you play well and perform, so I couldn't be more excited."

On whether he knew that Seattle would take him...
"I knew. I was telling Trevor before, it was an interesting 10-15 minutes for me. I turned down a good opportunity with Boston just because of how I felt about the Seattle organization. The way they felt about me, I had some talks over the phone there for about 10 or 15 minutes, and it was a little bit of a circus, but it was a great opportunity for me."

On whether he has a deal in place yet, given that he told Boston he was not interested in playing there...
"We have no deal agreed upon, but I knew they were going to take me when they picked again, and I think I made it clear to everybody else that it was going to have to be as good a deal as Seattle was going to give me."

On whether there's any chance he would return to school...
"I feel like I'm ready to go play pro ball and I feel like this is my best opportunity to go start my career. If things don't work out, I'm not opposed to it. It's been the greatest three years of my life -- baseball-wise and everything. It's something I'll cherish for the rest of my life, so if things don't work out, it's something I'm not opposed to."

Poythress, Holder Drafted

From UGA Athletics...

Georgia junior first baseman Rich Poythress was selected in the second round by the Seattle Mariners with the 51st overall pick in the Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft on Tuesday. He was the second pick in the second round.

The Grovetown, Ga., native becomes the fourth Bulldog to be drafted in the first two rounds in the last four years. Gordon Beckham and Josh Fields were both taken in the first round last year, and Brooks Brown was selected in the first round in 2006. Fields was also drafted by the Mariners.

Poythress led the Bulldogs with a .376 average, 25 home runs and 86 RBI this season and was named a Louisville Slugger All-American and first team All-SEC. Poythress set the single season school RBI record this season and is second on Georgia's career RBI list. He had four multi-home run games in 2009 including two three home run games, the second player in Georgia history to accomplish that feat.

----

Georgia senior pitcher Trevor Holder was drafted in the third round by the Washington Nationals with the 81st overall pick in the 2009 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft on Tuesday. He was the first pick in the third round.

Holder was the second Bulldog to be drafted as Rich Poythress was taken in the second round by the Seattle Mariners.

A native of Birmingham, Ala., Holder posted a 7-5 record with a 4.48 ERA in 2009 and finished his career tied with Cris Carpenter for fourth all-time at Georgia with 22 career wins. Holder, who was drafted in the 10th round by the Florida Marlins last season, was 8-4 for the 2008 SEC Championship team that finished with a No. 2 national ranking. He was a second team All-SEC pick in 2008 and was named to the SEC All-Defensive Team in 2009.

Georgia has had five players drafted in the first three rounds over the last four years including Trevor Holder (Nationals) and Rich Poythress (Mariners) in 2009, first rounders Gordon Beckham (White Sox) and Josh Fields (Mariners) in 2008 and first rounder Brooks Brown (Diamondbacks) in 2006.

Stafford Not Starting Yet

What, Matthew Stafford hasn't landed the starting gig already? Well what are they paying him all that money for?

ESPN is reporting that Lions' GM Martin Mayhew has tentatively named Daunte Culpepper as the team's starting quarterback.

"He's a pro, and I trust Daunte," Mayhew told the (Detroit) Free Press' Carlos Monarrez. "He's got a lot of ability, and I anticipate that if we had something to do today, Daunte would be the guy today. But we've got a lot of time to work, and we'll see how it goes."

It doesn't sound like this is anything more than the typical lip service early on. A team would be insane to name a rookie as the starter after one weekend of workouts, so this is really not news. Still, with a veteran like Culpepper (who also has a long relationship with O coordinator Scott Linehan) on the roster, Stafford will probably have a bit tougher time landing the starting job this fall than Matt Ryan had a year ago in Atlanta.

Video Blog: Stafford's Selection

Want to relive the magic of Matthew Stafford being selected first overall by the Detroit Lions, only with shaky camerawork and the glitz and glamor of the back of some guy's head? Well, here ya go...

Asher Heads to Minnesota

Comments from Asher Allen from his conference call after being selected in the third round by the Minnesota Vikings...

Q: Were you pleased when the Vikings made that call to you?
A: Yeah, I was really excited. I think anytime you get drafted and go through a stage like this in your life, it’s one of the most heart-pounding things, but it’s also one of the most-enjoyable things. You dream of this day. I wish it could have came earlier, but I’m happy that it came.

Q: Did your hand injury make it a tough decision to come out this year or not?
A: Well, I played with (the injury). That’s the thing about it. Toughness has never been a problem. I broke it and when that happened I had the chance of either sitting out or playing with it. But I love football way too much not to play it. I played with it and then tore it. The last game of the year I played without my cast and it felt really good. And I know my body and also being able to work out and things like that; I had full confidence in my hand. It’s been 100 percent since the last game.

Q: Do you think the injury effected your draft status with some teams, that they were concerned? Do you think it may have hurt your stock a little bit?
A: I really don’t know. I think I had a good Combine showing. I had a great pro day, running a 4.33 (40-yard dash) at my pro day and obviously doing really good at my position drills over and over again and having good character and good grades and things like that. I thought those things were going to be able to take me up a little bit higher. But you don’t know what happens in those rooms and how they come up with those decisions. I’m kind of perplexed myself about going this low. But that’s just how it is. All we can do is just move forward from here and win games up here in Minneapolis.

Q: Do you see yourself fitting in here in the Vikings defense?
A: Obviously, I’m a big fan of Antoine Winfield. I’ve always been a big fan of him and everything that he does. A guy like him, who is kind of similar to the way I play, it’s just great to be on a team with him. Hopefully I have a chance to learn. That’s pretty much, as far as the secondary as of right now that I know. But I’m sure in the next couple weeks I’ll (become) well-informed.

Q: What do you think you have to work on most?
A: The playbook. The Minnesota Vikings playbook and making sure I understand this. At Georgia, we had a very, very complex defense as far as understanding plays and reacting to different plays. I love film. I love watching film. I’m a big student of the game and just really understanding film. The faster I understand the film, the faster I can get on the field. I truly believe that will be the only thing holding me back.

Q: What do you think is your biggest strength?
A: Confidence. I think, playing cornerback, you have to have confidence being out there on those numbers by yourself. Sometimes on the backside of three-ball ones that I’ve spent my last three years at Georgia doing and just playing in the SEC, you gain experience. I played against NFL receivers that are in the NFL right now and I played against college receivers that are going to be in the NFL. Percy Harvin, he’s there right now and he’s a guy I went against for three years. It’s kind of funny that you’re kind of rival teams and you go to the same NFL team. But just that kind of experience playing in the SEC and (Harvin) also, you just gain new tools that you’re able to play in the NFL with.

Q: Did Percy make any plays on you?
A: Nah. Nah, we can go to the films. Every time he played Georgia, he made sure that he made his fair share of plays, as he did his whole year. He’s a great player and I’m happy to be a teammate with him and Phil Loadholt.

Q: You had a really good showing in the bench press at the Combine. Is physicality part of your game?
A: Oh yeah. Like Antoine Winfield, who is a strong corner. I put (225 lbs.) up 22 times. I have the bench press record as well as the power clean record at Georgia for cornerbacks. Physicality is big thing for me because I enjoy pressing. I enjoy getting into a receiver’s mouth, so to say, I think that kind of game. Knowing that you have speed and knowing that you have quickness, it just adds another weapon to you. I like playing in the run game a lot. That’s what we did at Georgia. We allowed our cornerbacks to make a lot of decisions and hopefully I can be able to do that at Minnesota.

Q: What did you think of that contract that your former teammate (Detroit Lions QB Matthew Stafford) got?
A: Oh wow. I hope he can throw a little bit down here to us. He deserves it. He’s been a hard worker. We came to Georgia at the same time and left Georgia at the same time. He’s been a hard worker since he’s been there, as well as Knowshon (Moreno) and Mohammed Massaquoi and Corey Irvin. Those guys, ever since they’ve been there, they’ve been extremely hard workers. Just knowing that those guys are getting their recognition, as well as myself, it’s just been a great weekend, really.

Q: In which game did you break your hand and how did it happen?
A: In the LSU game last year, I broke my hand on the second drive of the whole game. He ran a flip-toss and as a cornerback I read it. I came up and making the tackle, my hand hit his helmet, actually. I was coming at a high speed and he was coming at a high speed. I didn’t know what happened at first. I thought I sprained it and so I just wrapped it up and we just taped it and I ran back out there and played football. From I believe the LSU game all the way up to the Michigan State game, which is pretty much the second half of the football season I was playing with a cast on my hand. Having that kind of thing, probably took away from my interceptions and things like that. I think what I brought my junior year to Georgia was just shutting a side down. That’s kind of the attitude I have. I feel like I can do that. Hopefully I can do that in Minneapolis.

Q: Did playing against a quarterback like Stafford in practice, did that elevate your game, playing against someone who is better than you would face on game day?
A: Picture this for a second, this was my practice; it was Stafford throwing to Mohammed Massoqoui, who is with the Browns now and Knowshon Moreno. That was practice. That was for three years. I feel like going against those guys and how competitive we all are, there were plenty of fights out there between the guys. Just how competitive we are; by the time you got there you were ready for the game. You were looking around like, “Man, this is not the same. This is pretty easy.” I think that’s just one of the reasons why I went to Georgia. I wanted to go somewhere that was very highly-competitive, where I knew a lot of talent was going to be, because I get to prove myself. That’s the kind of person I am. Obviously, I like to do what’s best for the team, but I also I love competition. I love to prove myself.

Q: Did you come close to coming back to school?
A: After the last game I was thinking about it. This decision came up and me and my family talked about it. We just wanted to know what was the best decision for us and for myself. We talked with Coach Richt and Coach Martinez. Coach Martinez, who was my position coach, talked and after talking they obviously wanted me to stay. I’m related to Michael Irvin. Michael Irvin is a cousin of mine and he helped me out a whole lot throughout this, and Darrell Green also did. I formed a relationship with him through this whole process. We talked a whole lot. As a whole group, collectively, we made a decision to come out. We thought it would be best. Going back, I love the University of Georgia. I love everything about it, what it stands for, what the G stands for, the fans there. It was extremely hard to leave but sometimes you got to do what you’ve got to do. But that was the backbone of that decision.

Q: How did you form the relationship with Darrell Green?
A: Darrell Green actually came down for the Capital One Bowl game. He came down there and was actually outside talking to a few guys and I followed him, obviously, as a big football fan. I went up there and said, “Hey” to him and things like that and just kept in touch. He never hesitated to contact me to see how I was doing and likewise I did the same. We’re both cornerbacks and he still thinks he can probably beat me in the 40. We haven’t raced yet. I think the comparisons of both of us probably attracted us to each other. I’ll probably reach him today. He’s a great guy I met at the Capital One Bowl and kept in contact with.

Q: With the defense that Vikings run, do you feel that fits you as a player?
A: Perfectly. That kind of offense we ran at Georgia, we kind of held kind of our base thing. The kind of player I am kind of fits also. I can press, press zone. There are a lot of weapons I believe I bring to the game. That’s just one of the things I do bring. I think that defense, when run correctly, is very, very tough to beat. Hopefully I can just be a part of that wherever (I’m at).

Q: If you played in the nickel would you be more comfortable playing inside or outside?
A: I believe I can play anywhere. Playing the nickel back is something I did when I first got to Georgia. Whenever we had problems toward the field or with a certain receiver I would go to nickel. I’m very familiar with playing nickel. I’m very familiar with playing the hook zone, playing the run through, as far as playing cover two; also playing the curl flat when it comes to cover three, the quarter flat when it comes to cover four. Things like that. We do that at Georgia. Those are things that Coach Martinez really instilled in us and made sure we understood. As a player myself I’m going to make sure I understand it whether it be nickel back or one of the two corners. I’m going to make sure I fully understand it. As far as playing nickel back, it doesn’t matter where. I’ll make sure I’ll understand and I’ll make sure I come in there kind of with a prior knowledge of this defense. I think that I’ll be a quick learner, hopefully.

Draft Day Photos

Some of the sights from Draft day...



Gotta love this mullet. He fluffed it repeatedly...
Eagles fans and Cowboys fans hanging out together? Mass hysteria!...
Fans taunting ESPN's folks...
Mr. Berman, my old arch nemesis...
Chris Mortensen, ruiner of otherwise perfectly good Telegraph stories...
The rest of the ESPN crew: McShay, Wingo and Herm Edwards...
And all of us "regular" media...
Some trophy they give away... I think for the guy who eats the most Campbell's Chunky Soup...
Stafford's three roommates -- Chapas, Munzenmaier and Durham -- sporting some new hats.
And Roger Goodell makes things official...

Knowshon Talks Broncos

Knowshon Moreno quotes, courtesy of UGA Athletics...

On reaction of call from Head Coach Josh McDaniels
"Just very excited. Very excited to be a part of everything. And I was just really happy about it."

On being surprised to go to Denver
"You know, a lot of teams needed (running) backs, but I didn't know what was going to happen. But once I got that call, got that idea and (Head Coach Josh McDaniels) told me about it, about that they (the Broncos) were going to take me, I was so excited about the situation and to be a part of the team now."

On meetings and workouts with Broncos prior to the 2009 NFL Draft
"It went really well. Went to Denver and met the coach and the coaching staff and met a lot of the players, I was excited about that. And I can't wait to get there for good and workout."

On where he fits in the tailback mix with the Broncos
"Well, I'm going to try to fit in wherever I do; no matter where it is on the field. I'm going to work hard, prepare myself for the league, for passing and some things like that. I'll fit in where I can and learn from the guys that are there and compete and work hard. And get my team and myself better off."

On scene today at draft, family reaction
"We were just here at the hotel, relaxing, and have close friends and family here. We were just relaxing, watching (the draft) and they were really excited."

On what he will bring to Denver
"Really, I'm a high-motor guy. Tough, hard-nosed, a hard runner, can make you miss at times. And just competitive. I love to play the game and I bring that energy to my team. So, we'll see how that goes."

On knowledge of Head Coach Josh McDaniels' offense
"We went over a few formations. But besides that, I don't really know too much about it. So I'm really anxious to get into the system and learn the playbook, that's a tough thing with rookies coming in. So I want to get in, learn the playbook, learn the system and just go from there."

On running into Bailey brothers (CB Champ and LB Boss) at University of Georgia
"No. Actually I never got the chance to. But I know they're great players, great people. You see their pictures all over the place. But besides that I never got the chance to really meet them, but I'm excited to do that."

On chance of ending up in Denver
"A slight chance. You know, knowing that the draft is like a lottery and you never know what's going to happen; you saw a little bit of that today. But I didn't really know what was going to happen, but I'm really excited about it and I'm happy it did."

On excited to be joining team during the rebuilding process
"Yeah. It's a great coaching staff. Great to be working with Bobby Turner, the running backs coach. He has coached a few Georgia running backs over the years, and I want to be a part of that list and see what happens. And work hard and be the best I can be."

On being aware of Broncos running backs selected in previous drafts
"Definitely, definitely. You know, Terrell Davis was a (University of) Georgia guy, late rounder, but he really blossomed. And I think a lot of that comes from how he was coached. Especially with Bobby Turner and the staff that was there. So I'm really excited to work with him and I can't wait."

On whether arriving to training camp is a priority
"Definitely, definitely; that's one of my main goals. I want to get there on time, I want to be with my team and I want to work. That's one of my main things is to get (to training camp) on time and get things settled."

On personal characteristics
"I guess I'm a funny guy, I'm laid back, and I'm really excited about everything. I like bowling. I like to bowl a lot. Video games, I guess a lot of the guys play video games these days. I guess that's pretty much it. But I'm really going to be excited to meet my teammates, and I think they're going to like me also."

On reaction to QB Matthew Stafford being picked No. 1 overall
"I was really excited for him. He looks happy, his family looks happy, and that's the main thing, that his family's happy and everything's going well. I didn't hit him up yet, I didn't call him or text him because I know he's getting plenty. But I'll do that later."

Lions Talk Stafford

The following are transcripts from Saturday media session with Detroit Lions GM Martin Mayhew and Head Coach Jim Schwartz regarding Detroit's first round selection as well as a transcript of the media conference call with Lions QB Matthew Stafford. (Courtesy UGA Athletics)...

MAYHEW: Opening statement: "We were able to reach an agreement with Matthew Stafford here. We received the contract back by fax within the past hour. We're excited to have him as a part of this organization and now we feel like we have a young guy that we build. We think, with him, that he's one of the best young quarterbacks in the league right now and now it's up to us to develop him. It's up to us to get good players around him. I think all of us will have to work together to make him be a successful player here in the NFL. We're excited about him, we're looking forward to the draft and we're going to add some more players today who will help us this season."

MAYHEW: On whether they still would have drafted Stafford had the contract not been signed: "Well at this point it doesn't really matter. We've got him, he's a guy that we targeted, he's the highest rated guy on our board and we're glad to have him."

MAYHEW: On whether Stafford will play right away: "It's hard to say until he gets here and starts playing. It takes awhile to learn how to play this game, so we'll see."

MAYHEW: On what sold him on Stafford: "After the private workout we started feeling really good about him and really comfortable with him. It's just the way he carried himself, how smart he was about the game and obviously the way he threw the football was very impressive. I was at his pro day and at theprivate workout and this guy can throw the football. We think our fans will be really excited to see Matthew play."

SCHWARTZ: Opening statement: "The first thing I want to talk about is that when we started this process we went in with an open mind. We didn't start this process saying, 'hey we're starting a franchise. We're going to start with a quarterback, or we're going to start with a left tackle or a defensive player.' We let the process work and I think this is year 17 in the NFL for me and this is the probably one of the few times I remember in 17 years having a consensus in the building for the No. 1 pick - that goes from the area scout, to the director of college Scouting, to the general manager, to the assistant coach, to the offensive coordinator and the head coach. I think when we started stacking the board and we started talking about different things in selection at No. 1, the thing that came off very strong about Matthew was the consensus of opinion and it made it an easy pick."

SCHWARTZ: On the consistency of Stafford's accuracy over his college career: "Accuracy wise, let's not down grade him for what he did as a true freshman. I think we saw increased accuracy each year, he got better every year. A lot of quarterbacks wouldn't have played as a true freshman, he went from high school to the Southeast Conference and played right away and I think maybe if he had red-shirted that year, maybe if he had been a backup that year, maybe that would haven't been out on him.

"I think we like the fact that we saw improvement from a year-to-year basis. We saw him win on the road at Alabama in a big game and contrary to one of the other things that was sort of put out there that he didn't do a lot with the talent at Georgia; it's easy, look at the players that were drafted from Georgia over the last couple of years. I think they had a sixth-round running back, I think they had a fourth-round tight end and a couple of offensive linemen that may have been free agents. I think all of those things were out there, but we were able to put our minds at ease with a lot of those questions."

SCHWARTZ: On what will determine whether Stafford will sit out for awhile or be able to play right away: "The same that goes into the decision on any player on this team. The best player is going to play and I think that we need to keep an eye toward that with Matthew. Is he the best player and is he ready? And both of those questions have to be answered. We're at a really good position right now with a rejuvenated Daunte Culpepper. Daunte has done an incredible job between the end of the season and now of making a commitment and being back. I think anybody that saw any of our mini-camp sees a lot of the old Daunte Culpepper. I think it's a great situation to be in where we have a comfort level with what Daunte has done up to this point and we have a good young quarterback and we don't have to force our hand. We don't have to make a decision that's not based on merit."

SCHWARTZ: On whether the best case scenario will be to give Stafford as much time as possible: "I've answered that before with 'it depends,' and Tom (Kowalski) loves that answer, and it does. I think, just like when we went into the draft and we said, 'we're going in with an open mind,' we're not going to say, 'hey, we're drafting a quarterback', or 'hey we're drafting a left tackle.' We go into this process the same way, not with, 'hey were going to sit him for a year regardless', or 'hey, he's going to start right away.' I think we go in and we say, 'if he's ready, in our eyes he's ready, and if he's our best quarterback, then he plays.'"

SCHWARTZ: On what he sees in Stafford: "I think a lot of things. The one thing that everybody sees is the arm strength; I think that kind of ability is release, it's classic. The other thing is his history of productivity. Going back to his sophomore year of high school, highly recruited player, mid-season transfer to Georgia and plays right away in the Southeast Conference - that body of work; but more than that, what came out in this process - I don't know if it was a surprise to us - intelligence, worth ethic and passion for the game of football. It's easy when you're around this guy a lot, he's a gym rat. He loves football; he loves to talk the game.

"We took him through, when we went down to Georgia, we took him through a game on film from Alabama two years ago and we said before we start watching this game and you start talking us through it, why don't you tell us a little bit about the game. He started out saying, 'hey, I remember the very first play of the game we wanted to take a shot, we went twins right demon and threw an 18-yard completion over the right side.' He started talking through the whole game and we didn't tell him that we were going to watch that game. It reminded me of golfers that can tell you every shot that they made in the game. He remembers back… we actually had high school film on him when he was here for his visit. He could tell me everything that was getting ready to happen in his high school games and that kind of recall and that kind of intelligence that was the thing that was most interesting."

SCHWARTZ: On how he feels he'll handle this level of the game: "I think the most interesting thing with that was leadership. His style of leadership has come from a lot of different people. He's a calming influence on the huddle. He's not a 'rah-rah, hey fellas lets get going.' The team has confidence when he's in the game, they have confidence that they're never out of the game and this goes way back with him. I think that kind of guy brings calming to the huddle. The guy that brings that kind of confidence, the players believe in him, players that have played with him in the past, so I think that was the most important thing."

SCHWARTZ: On how he feels Stafford will handle the pressure of being the No. 1 overall pick: "He's used to it. He was the, if not the highest recruited player in the country, he was the highest recruited quarterback in the country. He went to the University of Georgia with that kind of pressure. He was the guy who was to 'lead them to the promised land.' Walk around the streets of Athens Georgia with this guy, you'll see that he's used to this kind of pressure, this kind of notoriety. We went to dinner and I sort of lagged behind, I spent a lot of time with Matthew. Scott Linehan and Shack Harris were walking ahead with him and I was about 20 steps behind and it was amazing, every person that passed him onthe street all did a double take and looked and said, 'there goes Matt Stafford.' When grown men are following you around, following us into the restaurant, he's used to that kind of scrutiny and that gave us a comfort level too."

SCHWARTZ: On whether Stafford's decision to play collegiately out of state factored into their decision making: "I don't know if it ever came up in retrospect. That's probably a good sign, someone who's willing to leave the nest so to speak. He did have some connections there with his family at the University of Georgia, his older sister had gone there I think a year or two before, so there were some connections there, but that wasn't a criteria, that wasn't a part of our decision."

Draft Notes: Knowshon to Denver

The Philadelphia newspapers spent the past few days speculating about his imminent arrival. The bevy of New York Jets fans in attendance at Radio City Music Hall had their fingers crossed Knowshon Moreno might end up with their team. For their part, Moreno's family hoped he would land close to his New Jersey home, too.

As it turned out, they were all wrong, but it was a pleasant surprise.

Moreno was expected to be a mid-to-late first-round pick in Saturday's NFL draft. Instead, he was taken 12th overall by the Denver Broncos.

"You know, a lot of teams needed (running) backs, but I didn't know what was going to happen," Moreno said. "But once I got that call, got that idea and (head coach Josh McDaniels) told me about it, about that they were going to take me, I was so excited about the situation and to be a part of the team now."

Moreno follows in the footsteps of former Georgia running backs Olandis Gary, who had a 1,000-yard rushing season with the Broncos, and Terrell Davis, who won a Super Bowl MVP for Denver.

Denver's current running back situation is in flux after numerous injuries decimated the position a year ago.

Moreno said he think he can help in a multitude of areas, including in the passing game. More than anything, however, he said he'll bring energy to the Broncos' backfield.

"Really, I'm a high-motor guy," Moreno said. "Tough, hard-nosed, a hard runner, can make you miss at times. And just competitive. I love to play the game and I bring that energy to my team. So, we'll see how that goes."

STAFFORD THE STARTER?

Matthew Stafford hopes he can swing his status as the first player taken in the NFL draft into a starting job with the Detroit Lions next year, but his new general manager is taking more of a wait-and-see attitude.

"It's hard to say until he gets here and starts playing," Detroit general manager Martin Mayhew said. "It takes a while to learn how to play this game, so we'll see."

While no job will be guaranteed to Stafford, his new coach has been impressed by Stafford's leadership ability and thinks it will be a quick transition to life in the NFL.

"His style of leadership has come from a lot of different people," Jim Schwartz said. "He has a calming influence in the huddle. A guy that brings that kind of confidence, the players believe in him."

UGA IN THE SPOTLIGHT

Georgia head coach Mark Richt said Saturday's first round of the NFL draft was clearly a big day for his program, showing off the Bulldogs' talent on one of the sport's biggest stages. But more than a ringing endorsement for Georgia, Richt said the selections of Stafford and Moreno in the first round was a credit to how good both players were with the Bulldogs.

Still, Richt said the program did help in one way: It gave both players a chance to shine.
Georgia's offense resembles a typical NFL style closer than most college teams, allowing the Lions to get a good view of how Stafford would handle a similar game plan at the next level. Similarly, Moreno was able to improve his blocking and become a weapon as a receiver out of the backfield, illustrating his versatility to NFL teams.

"We hope that we've been very beneficial for them in their quest for their dream," Richt said. "For us, it's very exciting, and we're just really proud of them."

MORE TO COME

A number of former Georgia players are expected to hear their names called in the second day of the draft today.

Wide receiver Mohamed Massaquoi led the Bulldogs in receptions last season, his fourth as a starter, and was the third Georgia player selected Saturday, going 50th overall to the Cleveland Browns.

Cornerback Asher Allen, who impressed scouts with his Pro Day workout in Athens, figures to land somewhere in the third or fourth round after leaving school a year early.

Fullback Brannan Southerland and linebacker Dannell Ellerbe both expect to chosen in the middle rounds of Sunday's draft as well.

Defensive tackle Corvey Irvin, safety CJ Byrd and defensive end Jarius Wynn could all be late-round selections.

TWO OF A KIND

Moreno was the first running back taken in the first round of Saturday's draft, but his good friend Donald Brown heard his name called as well.
Brown, who played Pee-Wee ball with Moreno in New Jersey, was taken with the 27th overall pick by the Indianapolis Colts.

The two kept in touch throughout the draft process, helping each other to keep level heads.

"We were on a visit together (with the Jets)," Moreno said. "We went to the hotel room and just kind of chilled out. We didn't talk about the whole process but, we kind of looked at each other like, this is kind of crazy, you know? But it's a great experience. Not many people get to do it, and it only comes once, so you've got to enjoy it while it's here."