Three Observations
One of us, one of us
We’ve all watched plenty of SEC games here. Other than being big guys who are great athletes with good arms, nothing on the tape of Will Levis or Anthony Richardson just screams sure-fire top-15 pick.
But man, after being in Indianapolis for a few days, it’s easy to see how that narrative gets spun out there.
Here’s the thing about a lot of these NFL/draft writer types. They think they’re the smartest people in the room. I’m not very smart and I’ll be the first one to tell you so. I don’t know if Jimmy from flyfalconsfly.com necessarily thinks the same way.
Radi and I sat in the stands on Saturday watching the quarterback drills. All the guys around us had googly eyes like a Backstreet Boys-obsessed teen searching pictures on AOL when they watched Levis and Richardson. There’s a group-think mindset among the self-described experts that makes it easy to see how certain players “generate buzz” in the leadup to draft day.
This vocal group chat feels its duty is to pick the cool kids.
The pompous bloggers fawned over Levis and Richardson all day. Sure the notable quarterbacks had some really impressive throws, Richardson in particular. But they also had some misses like every other quarterback in town.
Both of those guys could be future Hall of Famers for all I know. As I noted, I’m not particularly smart. But let’s take into account the tape they have and watch them play some NFL games with actual pads and defenders before anointing them.
“Nolan Smith made a lot of f****** money”
I heard that exact quote from an NFL type in the interview room the morning after Smith’s drills. Similar sentiments were expressed throughout the week after Smith’s impressive performance. His agent agreed.
Just how impressive was it? As you guys noticed, we didn’t write stories after every set of drills. That just wasn’t our plan. But by God I knew I had to leave Lucas Oil Stadium (bad WiFi situation there) and write a story on Smith’s exploits in the lobby of Harry and Izzy’s restaurant.
Their famous shrimp cocktail could wait after a performance like that. A 41.5-inch vertical, 10’8” broad jump, and a 4.39-second 40-yard dash while checking in at 238 pounds? That’s nuts.
Smith is still a bit of a tweener at that weight and his 6-foot-2 height. But like Travon Walker last year, his combine proved that he is an absolute freak athlete despite not putting up crazy numbers in college. Also like Walker, it should be noted that it’s not really his role to put up insane stats in Kirby Smart’s scheme.
Here are my thoughts on Smith. He needs to play in a defense that is coached by a young, innovative coach who will find the perfect way to use him. A coordinator that runs the same system from 1987 might not be as interested. But I believe someone is going to fall in love with him and take him in the first round, no question.
One side note on Smith: Myself and another Georgia writer ran into him on Friday afternoon. He came up to us and greeted us, asking how we were doing and what we were doing in town. We told him we were there to write about him and congratulated him on the big performance. Smith said it had been a whirlwind and exasperatedly said he had just wrapped up a long media session.
“Nolan, come on man - you don’t like talking to us?” I asked him jokingly.
He grabbed me on the shoulder and said, “Man, I love talking to you guys. But the best part about this is actually playing the game.”
Smith is one of the best dudes I’ve covered in my time doing this. Here’s hoping he’ll be playing the game in the league soon.
Saturday delivery
Stetson Bennett upstaged Will Levis for the coveted Podium 1 spot on Friday. That’s how much everyone wanted to hear from the quarterback who has had controversy dog his every move this offseason.
To his credit, Bennett owned up to his mistakes and apologized. I didn’t really think he needed to apologize for the parade/celebration stuff, but he explained that too. His interview session went about as well as it could.
The same can be said for his on-field performance.
The 40-yard dash looked like he didn’t go all out. I get not wanting to injure anything, although the question can be asked why run it in the first place. He told us he had not even run a full 40 in his training. But in his shuttle performances, Bennett shined. He always looked to be quicker than fast, allowing him to dance away from defenders. That showed there.
His throws were great, especially the deep balls. His misses were usually a bit high or a bit low, but nothing too crazy. The one thing he struggled with were a few touch throws. Unlike his hair, his red-zone fades were far from on point. But overall he still shined throughout the day. He also matched Levis in throw speed. Who knew a pop gun and a bazooka had the same firepower?
That performance will help Bennett in his quest to be drafted in the middle rounds. Who knows what the future will hold on draft night and beyond, but he continues to prove doubters wrong at every level.
Two Questions
Is Darnell Washington human?
Short answer: nah.
Nothing he showed on the field really shocked those of us who have covered him for a few years. But it’s still cool to hear the whistles, claps, and murmurs of shock from the NFL guys as Washington auditioned for the next Avengers movie.
Washington measured in at 6’7” and 264 pounds with 11-inch hands. He had an 83 ¾” wingspan. With a strong headwind, he could have flown back home on his own wings.
But no matter how many times you’ve seen it, it’s still jarring watching a guy that size move like that. A 4.64-second 40 at that size is wild. When doing drills, he looked more like a receiver than the actual Y-types who were 20 and 30 pounds lighter. We’ve all seen the one-handed snag that served as the highlight of the Combine.
Washington is a freak. We already knew that, but now the world understands. If he wasn’t before, he looks to be locked in as a first-round pick.
What’s next with Jalen Carter?
Wednesday morning was a bizarre scene. Radi, myself, and half the world were waiting to speak with Jalen Carter. Then the news of the arrest warrants broke. Carter never showed, and the news and hot takes continued to churn throughout the rest of the day.
Carter met with some teams before heading back to Athens. He returned to Indianapolis and met with teams again upon his return.
I still think it might be too early to know what’ll happen with Carter in terms of the draft. On the one hand, it’s two misdemeanors. On the other hand, it comes in a pattern of poor judgment while driving. Also involved in this incident, of course, were the deaths of Devin Willock and Chandler LeCroy.
Carter’s plan was always to work out at Pro Day. I’m assuming that is still the case, although I highly doubt he speaks with media there.
Ultimately, it’s my opinion that Carter’s draft stock won’t be affected that much. A guy of his talent will be too much to pass up for NFL teams. But I also bet he’ll have a close eye kept on him whenever he gets into an NFL facility.
I know this is a Combine column, but it still feels strange talking about draft stock in this situation. Rest in peace to Devin and Chandler. Hopefully, everyone involved in this incident and in the Bulldog program can and will learn from this.
One Prediction
Georgia had five first-round picks last year. That’s a total that seemed unlikely to be matched any time soon.
But it’s this writer’s opinion that this year’s class will do just that.
Carter and Broderick Jones are first-round locks. Nolan Smith and Darnell Washington were fringe guys but seem to have worked their way into first-round position with their Combine performances.
The biggest question at this point is Kelee Ringo. His 40-time was very good, but his jumps were just average. The same can be said for the on-field drills - solid, but didn’t blow anyone away.
Ultimately, I think Ringo’s combination of size and speed will be too much for teams to pass up. He will go in the back half of the first round, giving the Bulldogs a quintet of first-rounders for the second year in a row.
