{"id":778148,"date":"2026-07-04T08:14:21","date_gmt":"2026-07-04T08:14:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/778148\/"},"modified":"2026-07-04T08:14:21","modified_gmt":"2026-07-04T08:14:21","slug":"mark-richt-produced-nfl-georgia-stars-since-2006-outnumber-kirby-smarts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/778148\/","title":{"rendered":"Mark Richt-produced NFL Georgia stars since 2006 outnumber Kirby Smart\u2019s"},"content":{"rendered":"

ATHENS \u2014 Georgia football has been churning out elite NFL players for decades, and the past 10 years have been no different under the direction of Coach Kirby Smart.<\/p>\n

The Bulldogs have produced 84 NFL Draft picks under Smart,<\/a> including an eye-popping 21 first-round selections.<\/p>\n

Georgia was churning out NFL Draft picks before Smart took over following the 2015 season, too, with College Football Hall of Fame coach Mark Richt recruiting and developing some of the best players in the nation.<\/p>\n

Richt\u2019s tenure (2001-2015) is understandably more heavily represented than Smart\u2019s in a recent Pro Football Focus (PFF) feature on each NFL franchise\u2019s best players over the past 20 years.<\/a><\/p>\n

Richt-coached players from Georgia have had more time to make an impact in the NFL than Smart\u2019s, many of whom are just beginning to reach elite levels in the pro ranks.<\/p>\n

One thing for certain, Smart\u2019s NFL players are curreently drawing bigger paychecks than those who played for Richt, with the exception of all-time NFL earner Matthew Stafford.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s a look at former Georgia players that PFF has selected from among the best with the years they played with each team:, including two former UGA stars who are regarded as the best at their position for two different teams in the past 20 years:<\/p>\n

(players recruited by Richt in boldface type)<\/p>\n

QB Matthew Stafford (2009-2020), Detroit <\/p>\n

QB Matthew Stafford (2021-2025), L.A. Rams<\/p>\n

SLB Leonard Floyd (2016-2019), Chicago<\/p>\n

SLB Leonard Floyd (2020-2022), LA. Rams<\/p>\n

LT Andrew Thomas (2020-2025), N.Y. Giants<\/p>\n

DL Jalen Carter (2023-2025), Philadelphia<\/p>\n

C David Andrews (2015-2024), New England<\/p>\n

WR A.J. Green (2011-2020), Cincinnati<\/p>\n

DL Gino Atkins (2010-2020), Cincinnati<\/p>\n

RB Nick Chubb (2018-2024), Cleveland<\/p>\n

CB Champ Bailey (2006-2013), Denver <\/p>\n

DL Richard Seymour (2009-2012), Las Vegas<\/p>\n

DE Justin Houston (2011-2018), Kansas City<\/p>\n

DE Charles Johnson (2007-2017), Carolina<\/p>\n

LB Thomas Davis Sr. (2006-2016), Carolina<\/p>\n

There\u2019s no doubt that in time many of Smart\u2019s players will ascend to such heights, as their experiences and contributions in the NFL grow.<\/p>\n

Las Vegas tight end Brock Bowers, just two years into NFL play, serves as perhaps the best example of a Georgia player recruited and coached by Smart who might soon be considered the best tight end in his franchise\u2019s history.<\/p>\n

Jordan Davis, a former first-round pick of the Philadelphia Eagles, is another player who could become the best at his position with the franchise.<\/p>\n

Buffalo\u2019s James Cook led the NFL in rushing last season, and linebackers Nakobe Dean and Quay Walker are now in Las Vegas and emerging.<\/p>\n

Indeed, the majority of Smart\u2019s NFL draft picks have come over the past six years, with 63 Bulldogs selected: <\/p>\n

\u2022 2021 -9 draft picks<\/p>\n

First round: Eric Stokes (29th)<\/p>\n

\u2022 2022 -15 draft picks*<\/p>\n

First Round: Travon Walker (1st); Jordan Davis (13th); Quay Walker (22nd); Devonte Wyatt (28th); Lewis Cine (32nd)<\/p>\n

\u2022 2023 – 10 draft picks<\/p>\n

First Round: Jalen Carter (9th); Broderick Jones (14th); Nolan Smith (30th)<\/p>\n

\u2022 2024 – 8 draft picks<\/p>\n

First Round: Brock Bowers (13th); Amarius Mims (18th)<\/p>\n

\u2022 2025 -13 draft picks<\/p>\n

First Round: Mykel Williams (11th); Jalon Walker (15th); Malaki Starks (27th)<\/p>\n

\u2022 2026 – 8 draft picks<\/p>\n

First Round: Monroe Freeling (19th)<\/p>\n

*- NFL record number of picks from one collegiate team in a draft<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"ATHENS \u2014 Georgia football has been churning out elite NFL players for decades, and the past 10 years…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":778149,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[559],"tags":[64,63,368752,593,85],"class_list":["post-778148","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nfl","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-georgia-uga-georgia-football-kirby-smart","tag-nfl","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/778148","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=778148"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/778148\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/778149"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=778148"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=778148"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=778148"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}