The five ‘trades’ that could make Georgia football better in 2019

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The five ‘trades’ that could make Georgia football even better in 2019

College football doesn’t have trades, but it’s one of the few ways that the sport could improve. Trades make the NBA and MLB more fun to talk about, as it adds another layer of theoretical team building to the discussion. Do you trade some of your older veterans for better prospects? Or do you trade in some of those prospects for a big-time star?

So why not take a look at trades that could make Georgia better in 2019? We’re giving a hat tip for this idea to ESPN’s Edward Aschoff, who got the ball rolling last week and applied the idea to all of college football. But Georgia fans don’t care about Washington or Florida State getting better. And despite Georgia entering the season as a consensus top-5 team, it does have some holes on the roster to address.

Related: ESPN proposes interesting trade idea that would make Georgia football better

A disclaimer before going any further: All five trades a. can’t happen in real life, but don’t let that imagine you from thinking about it and b. are focused really on 2019. That’s why you’ll see Georgia giving players with multiple years left for guys for guys who can leave for the NFL after the 2019 season.

So below are five trades that could possibly make Georgia football better in 2019:

Georgia gets: Junior defensive end Chase Young

Ohio State gets: Sophomore offensive lineman Cade Mays, sophomore Quay Walker

Mays and Walker are both very talented players, with Mays starting seven games this past season. Part of the reason the two could be considered tradable is because that they play along Georgia’s deepest positions in offensive line and linebacker.

As for adding Young, Georgia needs more sacks and tackles for loss in 2019. Young is arguably the best returning pass rusher in college football. As a sophomore, he racked up 9.5 sacks for Ohio State. With him in the fold, Georgia would have a proven replacement for D’Andre Walker, who led Georgia in sacks last season.

Georgia gets: Junior tight end Colby Parkinson

Stanford gets: Sophomore defensive end Brenton Cox

With Isaac Nauta and Luke Ford both departing Georgia, tight end is arguably Georgia’s biggest hole. Even with the addition of incoming freshman Brett Seither and Tennessee graduate transfer Eli Wolf, there are still questions about the position. Only senior Charlie Woerner has more than 10 career catches amongst Georgia’s tight ends.

That’s why getting Parkinson would be a huge boost to the position. The Stanford tight end, who was the No. 1 overall tight end in the 2017 recruiting cycle, finished last season with 29 catches, 485 yards and 7 touchdowns. His production could easily replace that of Nauta’s, and Parkinson is already familiar with playing in two tight end sets due to his time at Stanford.

As for giving up Cox, he’s a player who has a boatload of promise and played key snaps for Georgia last year in the SEC Championship game. But with Georgia having Adam Anderson in tow, along with the No. 1 player in the 2019 recruiting cycle in Nolan Smith, Georgia has players who could fill Cox’s role.

Georgia gets: Senior defensive tackle Derrick Brown

Auburn gets: Freshman wide receiver George Pickens, sophomore offensive lineman Jamaree Salyer

This might seem like a lot for a player who can only play one season at Georgia, but Brown might be the best interior defensive lineman in the country. It was considered a big shock when he elected to return to Auburn for his senior season, as many thought Brown would be a first round pick in the 2019 NFL Draft.

As a junior, the Auburn defensive tackle racked up 10.5 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks. Georgia doesn’t play the exact same defense as Auburn, but Brown is good enough to shine wherever he plays.

As for what Georgia gives up, Salyer and Pickens are a high praise to pay. Pickens was the first 5-star wide receiver Georgia landed since 2009 and was someone Auburn very much wanted. As for Salyer, he was also a 5-star prospect, and a major recruiting win for Georgia during the 2018 cycle. But the Bulldogs are loaded with interior offensive lineman with the likes of Solomon Kindley, Ben Cleveland, Mays and Trey Hill all having multiple years of eligibility left.

And if Auburn were to want more, Georgia did just agree to move up the annual rivalry game with Auburn from November to October.

Georgia gets: Senior running back Tavien Feaster, redshirt sophomore quarterback Chase Brice

Clemson gets: Freshman offensive lineman Clay Webb

Georgia has a stars at running back and quarterback in D’Andre Swift and Jake Fromm. But the depth behind them is questionable, particularly with Fromm.

Feaster has already proven that he’s capable of being a back-up running back to spell a star, as he’s done that at Clemson the last two seasons. He may end up losing touches over the course of the season to either Zamir White or Brian Herrien, but Feaster is more proven than either of those two to this point.

Brice is the perfect back-up for Georgia, and really any program. When Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence left the Syracuse game with an injury, Brice filled in well enough to lead the Tigers to a win. In an ideal world, Brice would never play a meaningful snap for Georgia. But more so than Feaster, he’d be a great insurance policy.