A year after Georgia provided two of the top 12 selections in the NFL draft with quarterback Matthew Stafford and tailback Knowshon Moreno, the Bulldogs had two of the final 13 players picked.
Defensive tackles Jeff Owens and Kade Weston were seventh-round compensatory picks Saturday afternoon, with Owens going to the Philadelphia Eagles and Weston to the New England Patriots. The Bulldogs had five players chosen in the 2010 draft, with all five on the defensive side and three at the tackle spot.
"What you see with Owens is he's very, very strong," Eagles coach Andy Reid said. "He was coming off of an injury this year, made it through and did good. He gives you a little combination of pass rush and being able to play the run."
The Southeastern Conference wound up producing a record 49 draftees and led all conferences in selections for a fourth straight year.
Defensive tackle Geno Atkins was Georgia's first player picked Saturday, going in the fourth round to the Cincinnati Bengals. Atkins had the fewest number of starts among Georgia's senior trio in the defensive interior yet produced the most results with 36 tackles, 10.5 tackles for loss and 33 quarterback pressures.
At 6-foot-1 and 293 pounds, Atkins is the smallest of the three.
"He's buffed," Bengals defensive line coach Jay Hayes said. "He's got muscles on muscles."
Safety Reshad Jones, one of two Georgia draftees who skipped his senior season, was selected in the fifth round by the Miami Dolphins. The other early departure, linebacker Rennie Curran, was the next-to-last pick in Friday night's third round and went to the Tennessee Titans.
Titans coach Jeff Fisher realizes Curran is undersized at 5-11 and 225 pounds but appreciates his ability to play inside or outside and remain on the field in passing situations. Fisher expects Curran to start out on the outside.
"He's kind of a unique situation in that even though he doesn't have the ideal height, he's a long strider, so he covers a lot of ground," Fisher said. "He's got real good change of direction, balance, and he's very explosive."
Curran, the SEC's leading tackler last season, became the first Georgia player ever selected by the Titans.
Two Bulldogs who were not drafted quickly signed as free agents. Receiver Michael Moore signed with Detroit, while cornerback Prince Miller signed with Baltimore.