Georgia’s first player selected in last year’s National Football League draft was considered a risk due to his position.
The top projected Bulldogs player this time around, outside linebacker Leonard Floyd, has the height and has gained the weight to be a potential pro success. Analysts just wish they had seen more consistency during his time in Athens.
“Floyd is supremely talented, but he’s never quite found his niche,” ESPN draft analyst Todd McShay said on a recent conference call. “Maybe that’s because of the way Georgia used him and the fact they backed him off the line of scrimmage, but he’s never grown into the player you would expect when you start to look at those measurables.
“He was awesome in the workouts, and that’s what you saw flashes of in his career.”
Most mock drafts leading up to Thursday night’s opening round have Floyd going 10th overall to the New York Giants or 11th to the Chicago Bears. Former Bulldogs tailback Todd Gurley was selected 10th last spring by the St. Louis Rams and wound up rushing for 1,106 yards and 4.8 yards per carry.