Predicting where 5 best Georgia prospects will be picked in 2024 NFL Draft

Georgia may have come up just short of a three-peat, but the 2023 Bulldogs helped play a part in bringing a swift end to the antiquated four-team College Football Playoff format. Despite losing the SEC Championship by a field goal to Alabama in Atlanta, the Dawgs went 13-1 and annihilated previously undefeated Florida State in the Orange Bowl. Georgia would have so beaten Michigan.

Even though the Dawgs were not deserving of making the final four-team College Football Playoff, they were indisputably one of the four best teams. Regardless of where you land in that argument, you cannot deny the amount of talent Kirby Smart has accumulated over the years in Athens. The Classic City has become a pro football factory. So many former Georgia greats have gotten drafted.

So what I'm going to do today is put a few dudes on a team, bruh. I expect that three, maybe even four Georgia stars will go in the first round. Two are locks, but we are looking at upwards of six players of theirs potentially coming before the fourth round even begins. This may not be the most loaded draft of former Georgia players, but I anticipate that many of them will be able to produce at the next level.

Without further ado, let's start by putting one of the Dawgs' best defensive backs onto an NFL team.

Georgia Bulldogs safety Javon Bullard

Javon Bullard built a reputation for being a tough, physical player in the back-end of Kirby Smart's defense. He always had a nose for the ball, and was never afraid to make contact when the moment required it. His defining moment at Georgia was a controversial pass breakup on a throw in the back of the end zone made by Ohio State's C.J. Stroud to Marvin Harrison Jr. that came up incomplete.

Unlike the four other Georgia prospects featured in this post, Bullard has no shot to go in the first round. To me, he feels like a lock to go in round two, but could fall to the early parts of round three if there is not a demand for a hard-hitting safety at that point on the draft board. Regardless, I suspect he will go to a team that has a strong defensive-minded culture that is ready to win big immediately.

It is a little bit harder to forecast that far out, but I could definitely see him on the Baltimore Ravens.

NFL team prediction: Baltimore Ravens

Georgia Bulldogs cornerback Kamari Lassiter

Kamari Lassiter could potentially crack the top-32 in the upcoming 2024 NFL Draft, but I suspect he will be taken in the top half of round two on Friday. Lassiter is the next great cornerback to come out of Georgia. He may not have the fanfare of one of his predecessors in Kelee Ringo, but I anticipate he will come off the board around the same time he did to the Philadelphia Eagles last year, if not sooner.

Lassiter is a polarizing prospect. He felt like a lock to go in round one up until the draft process. The fact that Georgia's best defensive back last season was safety Malaki Starks, who isn't even draft eligible yet may have played a part in Lassiter's, and even Javon Bullard's, perceived downgrade. Regardless, I have a hard time seeing him making past the first 50 or so picks in this year's NFL Draft.

One team that may end up taking him could be the nearby Atlanta Falcons early in the second round.

NFL team prediction: Atlanta Falcons

Georgia Bulldogs wide receiver Ladd McConkey

The more I think about it, the more likely I think wide receiver Ladd McConkey will be a very late first-round pick. McConkey was underrecruited out of North Georgia, but got better with every snap he took in this high-octane Georgia offense. He is now Georgia's best draft prospect at the position group since at least George Pickens, if not A.J. Green. McConkey is instant offense at the next level.

On my big board, I have McConkey somewhere in the WR5 or 6-range. I suspect that he will be coming off the board after LSU's Brian Thomas Jr. and Texas' Xavier Worthy, but ahead of he and Worthy's former teammate Adonai Mitchell. We are talking about a versatile wide receiver who could be taken inside the top 30, but probably no later than the top 40. McConkey is going to a great team.

It wouldn't shock me if the Kansas City Chiefs were to make McConkey the last pick of the first round.

NFL team prediction: Kansas City Chiefs

Georgia Bulldogs offensive tackle Amarius Mims

While Ladd McConkey, and to some extent Kamari Lassiter, could be first-round picks, Georgia offensive tackle Amarius Mims is a lock to go in round one. Admittedly, he did not have a ton of starts in college, but was an incredibly impactful player whenever he was out there. Had he not gotten hurt early vs. Alabama, Georgia might have won the SEC en route to three-peating as national champions.

Although I am not confident enough to say that Mims will be the first offensive tackle taken this spring, I have a hard time seeing him fall to the 30s. He is likely to be coming off the board somewhere in the 20s, possibly even into the teens if the right situation manifests itself for the star offensive tackle. He will be going to a team that should be competitive, but one that is not quite a contender.

For my money, I would say the Pittsburgh Steelers picking at No. 20 overall are a good fit for Mims.

NFL team prediction: Pittsburgh Steelers

Georgia Bulldogs tight end Brock Bowers

In any other draft, it would be justifiable to take Georgia's all-world tight end Brock Bowers with a top-five pick. He was a better player in college than Florida's Kyle Pitts, who went No. 4 overall to the Atlanta Falcons three years ago. The absolute earliest Bowers could be coming off the board would be at No. 5 to the Los Angeles Chargers, but the Bolts are a massive trade back candidate this spring.

With at least four quarterbacks probably being taken ahead of him, whichever team ends up taking Bowers will be getting more and more value. I think there is a strong possibility that he falls out of the top-10 entirely, which would be head-scratching to say the least. He may fall as far as to the Indianapolis Colts picking at No. 15, but I suspect he will be coming off the board a few picks earlier.

Let's get Aaron Rodgers another weapon and make Bowers the No. 10 pick by the New York Jets.

NFL team prediction: New York Jets