Five More Dawgs Make the Cut

Following up the article on the drafted Dawgs, five more former Georgia football players have signed free agent contracts.

Going back to what I said before, I mentioned seven former Dawgs in the 2008 class that had the potential of getting picked up. So far, I am 5/7, but 0/2 on the guys that I thought had an outside chance. Those two, RB Kregg Lumpkin and OLB/DE Brandon Miller have both been offered free agent contracts by the Green Bay Packers and Atlanta Falcons, respectively. Lumpkin fits into Green Bay’s running scheme, and his power and abilities as a role runner should work out for the Packers. Brandon Miller may be a bit of a stretch to make the Falcons, but the chance is his to take.

The three others earning contracts are S Kelin Johnson with Seattle, WR Sean Bailey with Kansas City, and C/G Fernando Velasco with Tennessee. As I mentioned earlier, these three possess several traits that will allow them to achieve some success at the next level. I don’t see any of these three missing cuts with the teams they have signed with.

We wish all these guys good luck at the next level.

With that being said, this year, the graduating seniors and departing juniors overall as a class did not rate as high as the classes in previous seasons under Mark Richt.

This means two things that actually aren’t bad at all. For one, these guys were great roll players at the college level. Similar to David Greene’s current situation, these guys left Athens as great system players that excelled under Richt. This doesn’t mean they are bad players, it just means they don’t quite fit into every scheme at the next level. Therefore, their draft status takes a hit, but their opportunities continue through the free agency process. Teams can get a feel for these system players, and if they fit, they can and will contribute. Most of these players can compete at the right level. It just takes a little bit of luck in finding the team that wants them. The most important thing coming out of this situation, however, doesn’t have anything to do with this class. It has to do with the classes behind them. A team that goes 11-2 and wins a BCS bowl has talent. NFL Draft-type talent. If none of the departing players were drafted in the first four rounds, what does that say of 2008’s team? Loaded. Not to take anything away from the departing guys, because many of them had huge impacts, but next years team and the following classes are that much better. If anything, we should be happy that no player from last year’s team cracked the first four rounds. That means we have plenty more guys that are that caliber. They’re just back for more.