Former Georgia linebacker Roquan Smith was selected eighth overall by the Chicago Bears during the 2018 NFL Draft on Thursday.
Smith was the first former SEC player taken in the draft and will join fellow former Bulldogs linebacker Leonard Floyd, who was selected by Chicago at No. 9 overall in 2016.
Smith, a former Butkus Award winner, is the first inside linebacker selected by the Bears in the first round since Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee Brian Urlacher in 2000, according to The Athletic’s Kevin Fishbain.
Here’s how Georgia fans, experts and former coach Mark Richt reacted to news for the former Bulldogs’ selection: