Five players from Georgia, one from Georgia Tech set to compete in Senior Bowl

The defensive line group, an area of particular interest for the Falcons, will be heavily scouted.

“It’s a really good group,” Senior Bowl executive director Jim Nagy said recently on the NFL Stock Exchange podcast. “We are excited about the guys we have here. It’s because we have a lot of buy in from the junior class. We had the 10 first-round picks last year. All of those guys were seniors. We’ve got a number of juniors that I think are going to be first-rounders this year.”

The Falcons drafted three defensive lineman last season.

“I think our cut line on the (defensive) line, our lowest graded player was the fourth round,” Nagy said. “That’s pretty high on the board. Some positions you get down there in the sixth round. Some years, when it was just all senior running backs, you were picking guys in the seventh round. The (defensive) line class, by far was the toughest cuts.”

There’s usually a defensive standout flying under the radar, too.

“I love (cornerback) Upton Stout from Western Kentucky,” Nagy said. “He’s just an easy guy to like. You put on the tape and he’s just super urgent. He’s flying around.”

Here’s a look at the Georgia players and the Georgia Tech representative (height, weight, other measurements recorded at Senior Bowl):

Trevor Etienne, RB, Georgia, 5-foot-8, 202 pounds: He spent his first two seasons at Florida before transferring to Georgia for the 2024 season. He rushed 122 times for 609 yards and nine touchdowns for the Bulldogs. He rushed 371 times for 2,081 yards and 23 touchdowns over his career. He’s a dependable pass-catcher. He caught 62 of 63 targets over his career for 432 yards and a touchdown. He missed some time last season with a rib injury.

Arian Smith, WR, Georgia, 6-0, 185: He played in 47 games for the Bulldogs. He caught 68 passes for 1,356 yards (19.9 yard per catch) and 10 touchdowns. His injury history will scare off some teams. He was credited with 10 dropped passes heading into the Sugar Bowl by pro football focus.

Dan Jackson, DB, Georgia, 5-11, 194: He was a walk-on at Georgia after playing at North Hall High. He made two big plays in Georgia’s 44-42 eight-overtime win over Georgia Tech last season. Against the Yellow Jackets, Jackson made the late-fourth-quarter hit on quarterback Haynes King that caused a fumble. In overtime, Jackson’s sack of King led to one of the seven scoreless periods for Tech in extra time. He was a Coaches’ All-SEC third-team pick last season. He made 12 starts and played in 13 games.

Smael Mondon Jr., LB, Georgia, 6-2 3/8, 229: The former Paulding County High standout was a five star recruit. Played early in his career. He played in 51 games and had 212 tackles and 18 tackles for losses. He also showed some pass-rush ability with eight sacks.

Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins, DL, Georgia, 6-4, 276: Played in 37 games for the Bulldogs over four seasons. He played mostly in reserve and rotational roles. He made three tackles, including two for a combined loss of eight yards in the SEC opener win over Kentucky to earn SEC defensive lineman of the week award last season.

Jackson Hawes, TE, Georgia Tech, 6-4, 252, 79-inch wing span: The Yale (2019-2023) transfer was used primarily as a blocking tight end. He’s a ferocious blocker and was used as a puller at times. He’s a power player with limited pass catching skills. He did catch 35 passes for 371 yards and six touchdowns at Yale.

Accepted invitations, but are not on the rosters released on Monday:

Tate Ratledge, OG, Georgia, 6-6, 320: Played in 38 games over his career, including 10 last season. He was named Associated Press All-America third-team and Associated Press and Coaches first-team All-SEC. He was suffered knee and ankle injuries in conference opener against Kentucky and missed the next four games before returning to action against Florida.

Jared Wilson, C, Georgia, 6-3, 310: He played in 34 career games for the Bulldogs over the past four seasons. He was a two-year starter. He was named to the Coaches’ second-team All-SEC team. In 2023, he played in 13 of 14 games and was part of the unit that ranked first in the SEC and seventh nationally in sacks allowed (0.93). He helped Georgia’s offense finish second in the SEC and fifth in the nation in total offense (496.5), offensive passing efficiency (168.21) and scoring offense (40.1).