Staff file photo by C.B. Schmelter / Georgia quarterback Jake Fromm, projected by CBS a year ago as the No. 1 overall pick in the 2020 NFL draft, instead wound up being taken No. 167 overall by the Buffalo Bills on Saturday.Georgia quarterback Jake Fromm experienced the most notable slide in the 2020 NFL draft, but he did have some familiar company.
At least for a while.
Fromm, projected last May by CBS as the top overall choice in this draft, was finally selected Saturday afternoon when the Buffalo Bills picked him in the fifth round as the 167th overall selection. The 6-foot-2, 219-pounder compiled a sparkling 36-7 record with the Bulldogs that included three trips to the Southeastern Conference championship game, but he wound up being the eighth quarterback taken.
"In my entire career, I've always been the guy kind of left out, the guy overseen and the guy who's not tall enough, strong enough and can't do this or that," Fromm said on a conference call after his selection. "For me, it's just showing up to work, competing and doing whatever I can to help the team win. I'm excited to do that again here at this level."
Fromm, who guided the Bulldogs to a 17-1 record against SEC East foes and three wins over divisional rival Florida by the average score of 34-14, began Saturday's fourth through seventh rounds as ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper's No. 2 available prospect behind quarterback Jacob Eason of Washington. Eason started for Georgia as a freshman in 2016 but got hurt during the 2017 season opener and spent the rest of that year as Fromm's backup before transferring.
Staff photo by C.B. Schmelter / Georgia quarterback Jacob Eason walks on the field as the Bulldogs celebrate their SEC championship victory over Auburn on Dec. 2, 2017, at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.Eason was picked in the fourth round by the Indianapolis Colts as the 122nd overall selection.
Also having to wait longer than expected was Tennessee receiver Jauan Jennings, grabbed by the San Francisco 49ers with the third pick of the seventh round, which was the 217th overall selection. Jennings joined defensive end Darrell Taylor, a second-round pick of the Seattle Seahawks, as the only Volunteers tabbed in the 255-member draft.
"We've got a lot of weapons," Jennings said of his new team, "and I just can't wait to go out there and help."
Reigning national champion LSU led all colleges nationally with 14 overall selections, a record for SEC programs, while Alabama had nine to rank second in the league. Florida and Georgia had seven picks apiece, while Auburn had six.
Staff photo by C.B. Schmelter / Tennessee wide receiver Jauan Jennings, left, makes a 13-yard touchdown catch while covered by BYU linebacker Chaz Ah You during the first extra period of the Vols' 29-26 double-overtime loss on Sept. 7, 2019, in Knoxville.Buffalo is set at quarterback with Josh Allen, the seventh overall pick in 2018 who guided the Bills this past fall to their first 10-win season this century. The Bills were not planning to take a quarterback in this draft, according to ESPN's Chris Mortensen, but Buffalo general manager Brandon Beene believed Fromm was too good to pass up at that point.
"I thought all along that he would be a third- or fourth-round pick, and he lasted to the fifth," Georgia coach Kirby Smart said on a conference call. "People have a lot of doubters, and sometimes doubters motivate you. They're going to be a lot better off having him on their team. He's a winner."
Fromm's accuracy numbers dipped as a junior this past season, when his receivers battled injuries and inconsistencies, but ESPN draft analyst Todd McShay still pegged him in January as the 28th-best prospect.
At February's NFL combine in Indianapolis, Fromm's intelligence was reflected by a Wonderlic test score of 35, but his lack of arm strength on deeper throws was widely criticized. He entered draft week projected as a second- or third-round selection, but even that proved to be rather optimistic.
Staff photo by C.B. Schmelter / Georgia quarterback Jake Fromm takes the field for the SEC championship game against LSU on Dec. 7, 2019, at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.Georgia guard Solomon Kindley went early in the fourth round to the Miami Dolphins as the 111th overall selection, while Bulldogs tight end Charlie Woerner went to San Francisco in the sixth round as the 190th overall pick. Tae Crowder, the inside linebacker for the Bulldogs who did not receive a combine invite and had his pro day canceled, went to the New York Giants as the final pick of the draft.
Among the first players to announce free-agent signings Saturday night were Tennessee receiver Marquez Callaway (New Orleans) and safety Nigel Warrior (Baltimore), and Georgia kicker Rodrigo Blankenship (Indianapolis) and safety J.R. Reed (Jacksonville).
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6524. Follow him on Twitter @DavidSPaschall.