While many of us Georgia fans were still celebrating the thrilling overtime victory over Tennessee last weekend, former Dawg greats were showing out in the NFL on Sunday. Highlights of the week included a pair of rookie defenders making an impact, a rookie offensive lineman having an elite game, and a pair of veterans with some highlight-worthy touchdowns.
Georgia fans who have waited for years to hear the Atlanta Falcons call the name of a Bulldog star in the first round were finally rewarded this
year when defensive standout and co-owner of the Texas Longhorns (alongside Daylen Everette) Jalon Walker was selected with the team’s 15th overall pick. The North Carolina native put together a great junior season for the Dawgs, as he recorded 6.5 sacks and 11 tackles for loss.
In Sunday’s game against the Minnesota Vikings, Walker recorded his first career sack in a game highlighted by the dominant Falcons’ defense (when is the last time someone made that statement?). The Falcons sacked former Michigan Quarterback JJ McCarthy six times in a 22-6 victory on Sunday night football.
Another 2025 first-round pick from Georgia flashed his potential on Sunday. Mykel Williams, who was selected 11th overall by the San Francisco 49ers, collected five tackles, including two for loss, in a victory over the New Orleans Saints. Though he has yet to record a sack this year, the Columbus native has shown that he is on his way to being an elite defender in the NFL. He and teammate Nick Bosa are poised to be a disruptive duo to offenses in the league.
A few weeks ago, I wrote about how Jared Wilson has impressed the New England Patriots’ coaching staff and could potentially start this season. His hard work in training camp paid off, and the former Georgia center was named a starter at left guard. So far, he has been a bright spot on the Patriots’ offensive line. Take a look at these stats from last Sunday. It is only up from here for Wilson:
A pair of former teammates from the iconic 2017 Georgia Bulldogs season also had some highlight moments in week two. Linebacker Roquan Smith took a fumble 62 yards to the house as the Baltimore Ravens blew out the Cleveland Browns 41-17. Nick Chubb, who signed with the Houston Texans in the offseason, scored a touchdown late in the fourth quarter on Monday night football to put the Texans ahead of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Unfortunately, the Texans would go on to lose the game, but it was great to see Chubb get back into form after battling injuries over the past couple of seasons.
New or old, it is always great to see our favorite Dawgs succeed at the next level. As long as Kirby Smart is the head football coach at the University of Georgia, we will always see plenty of talent take their skills to the professional level.
Go Dawgs!!
