Georgia photo by Philip Williams / D'Andre Swift, who set a Georgia career record by averaging 6.56 yards per carry in his three seasons with the Bulldogs, hopes to hear his name called during Thursday night's opening round of the NFL draft.Recent Georgia running backs have fared quite well in the National Football League.
Todd Gurley, a new member of the Atlanta Falcons, rushed for 5,404 yards during his five seasons with the St. Louis/Los Angeles Rams and was the NFL's offensive player of the year in 2017. Sony Michel has rushed for 1,843 yards during his two seasons in New England, which doesn't include the 336 yards he amassed in three postseason games to lead the Patriots to the Super Bowl LIII crown, while Nick Chubb has rushed for 2,490 yards and averaged a robust 5.1 yards per carry in his two years with the Cleveland Browns.
Those three Bulldogs have announced their professional presence with authority, and D'Andre Swift is ready to take his turn.
"God gave me the ability to do multiple things - pass catch, pass block and make something happen when there is nothing there," Swift said during his news conference at February's draft combine. "I think I'm the most versatile back in this class. I'm a three-down back. I can do whatever I'm asked to do.
"I've got a lot of God-given ability, and I don't take that for granted."
The 5-foot-8, 212-pounder from Philadelphia had an impressive three-year stint for Kirby Smart's Bulldogs, rushing 440 times for 2,885 yards and 20 touchdowns. His 6.56 career yards per carry set a Georgia record, eclipsing the 6.44 that Gurley averaged from 2012-14.
Swift was a freshman in 2017 playing third fiddle to Chubb and Michel, and much of his 618 yards and 7.6 yards per carry were the result of him being fresh against worn-down defenses. That was never more evident than in that year's Southeastern Conference championship game, when the Bulldogs had built a 21-7 lead over Auburn with less than 11 minutes remaining before Swift clinched the crown with a 64-yard touchdown run.
Chubb and Michel left after a 2017 journey that eventually reached the national championship game, which resulted in Swift being a clear focal point of opposing defenses for his next two seasons. He repeatedly produced, though, rushing for 1,218 yards and 6.2 yards per carry last season on an offense that was often inconsistent throwing the ball.
In a 21-0 rain-soaked triumph over Kentucky last October in which the two starting quarterbacks combined for a meager 52 aerial yards, Swift pounded out 179 yards and two touchdowns on 21 carries.
"Sony and Nick had each other, and that always helped," Smart said. "I think Sony took pressure off Nick, and Nick took pressure off Sony. I definitely think D'Andre did an unbelievable job in the locker room of commanding respect and wanting the ball, especially in big moments in games. I go back to Notre Dame, and I go back to Texas A&M. There were a lot of tight ballgames where he was able to get us get conversions and create open opportunities and explosive plays.
"I mean, you go back to Kentucky, as tough as things were, and he makes two or three runs that were just electric and helped kind of ice it in the second half. I know what kind of competitor he is. I know the NFL scouts know that, but as good of a competitor as he is, he's a better person."
The draft, which was set for Las Vegas but will be held remotely instead because of the coronavirus outbreak, starts Thursday at 8 p.m. on ABC, ESPN and NFL Network. Coverage returns at 7 p.m. Friday, when the second and third rounds will be held, and the final four rounds are Saturday starting at noon.
Swift's versatility in Athens that included 73 career receptions for 666 yards (9.1 per catch) and five touchdowns has helped him top most draft charts at his position, with NBC, Pro Football Focus and Sports Illustrated among those outlets that project him ahead of Wisconsin's Jonathan Taylor as the first running back taken. Longtime ESPN analyst Mel Kiper is in that category as well, pegging Swift last week in his mock draft to be the 32nd and final first-round selection to the Kansas City Chiefs.
Should Swift get tabbed within the first 32 picks, he would add to Georgia's impressive lineage of first-round running backs that includes Tim Worley (1989), Rodney Hampton (1990), Garrison Hearst (1993), Robert Edwards (1998), Knowshon Moreno (2009), Gurley (2015) and Michel (2018).
"There are a lot of great backs in this class," Swift said. "I'm just blessed to be one of the top guys."
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6524. Follow him on Twitter @DavidSPaschall.