It’s February, and we are in full-blown hype mode for the upcoming NFL Draft.

It’s the season for bold opinions and draft projections seemingly out of nowhere. That’s what makes it so fun. If you can remember this time last year, draft “experts” had former UGA defensive end D’Andre Walker and Bulldogs receiver Riley Ridley going in the first round.

Nevertheless, if there’s one consistency for this year’s crop of NFL-bound Bulldogs, it’s offensive lineman Andrew Thomas being drafted in top half of the first round, and D’Andre Swift being one of the top three running backs off the board.

Swift, who stepped up as UGA’s locker-room leader on offense this past season, got some love from two notable NFL analysts this week. He was compared to two of the best NFL running backs this past season: To Dalvin Cook, by ESPN’s Matt Bowen; and to Alvin Kamara, by Bleacher Report’s Matt Miller.

The arrow is definitely pointing up for Swift, and he could even rise higher with a strong performance at the NFL Combine, which kicks off on Feb. 23.