The connection between winning national championships and producing NFL first-round picks is self-evident.

2020 national champion Alabama had six players selected in the first round of this year’s draft. Likewise, Ja’Marr Chase -- selected with the fifth pick by the Cincinnati Bengals -- became the sixth player taken in the first round off LSU’s roster from its national championship season in 2019. And over the last three drafts, seven players who helped lead Clemson to the national championship in 2018 have gone on to become first-round picks.

Therefore, it seems obvious that if Georgia is going to break through and win a national championship this upcoming season, it’s crucial to identify the top-end talent who could help make that happen.

With that in mind, I’ve attempted to name the most likely future first-round picks on my show, DawgNation Daily, over the last few days, and wanted to follow up that conversation with a written summary of my evaluations beginning with the Bulldogs’ most intriguing offensive prospects.

Quarterback:

There’s no doubt JT Daniels is in the mix to be a first-round pick in next April’s draft. One early mock even has Daniels selected No. 1 overall. The stats he put up in his four games as UGA starter last season affirm that as a legit possibility, but there are also 2022 projections that have Daniels being taken outside of Round One.

Daniels can solidify his status -- and give the Bulldogs its best chance at a national championship -- by throwing more touchdowns.

Daniels threw 10 in four games in 2020. Projecting those numbers over a full 15-game schedule (which would include the Playoff and national championship game) gives Daniels 38 touchdowns.

If Daniels were to achieve that feat, the good news is he’d set a program record for a single season in the process. However, the bad news is he’d still be well below the pace that recent first-round quarterbacks set for themselves during their national championship seasons.

Alabama’s Mac Jones threw 41 touchdowns in a pandemic-shortened 13-game schedule last season, and LSU’s Joe Burrow tossed an NCAA-record 60 touchdowns in 2019.

Daniels might not need to be as prolific as Jones or Burrow to lead the Bulldogs to a title or to help propel himself into the first-round of next year’s draft, but he almost certainly needs to exceed the recent expectations for recent UGA quarterbacks to give himself a chance.

Wide Receiver:

The safest bet to become a first-round pick off UGA’s roster if he was fully healthy is probably George Pickens. Unfortunately, Pickens injured his ACL to start spring practice.

There’s, of course, still plenty of time for Pickens to work himself back to health by next year’s draft, but it’s still unknown how much -- if at all -- he’ll play this season.

That provides a challenge for the Bulldogs. Recent national champions have had multiple receivers play at a first-round level. The absence of Pickens makes identifying UGA’s top pass-catching targets more difficult.

However, there’s no shortage of possible names.

Dominick Blaylock and Marcus Rosemy-Jacksaint are both former elite recruits, and each has dealt with season-ending injuries. Yet there’s reason to believe each is on his way to recovery, and both have demonstrated their effectiveness when they’ve been on the field.

Likewise, Jermaine Burton nearly set a single-game record last year when he hauled in 197 receiving yards vs. Mississippi State in Daniels’ debut as the Bulldogs’ starter. That’s a possible glimpse at what Burton could do a lot more of this season in his second year in the program.

Beyond that, veterans such as Kearis Jackson and former five-star recruit turned “super senior” Demetris Robertson are reliable targets as well.

Not to mention rising stars who earned buzz during the spring including Justin Robinson, who’s entering his second season in the program, and incoming freshman Adonai Mitchell, who turned heads during the annual G-Day scrimmage.

Running Back:

Georgia prides itself on being Running Back University and throughout the years it’s produced enough first-round backs to validate that claim.

Yet most of the early 2022 mock drafts won’t include a UGA back in their projections.

That could be a problem if reality ends up matching the predictions.

While running backs have become less fashionable in the first-round than they once were, each of the four backs taken in the first-round over the last three years won national championships while in college.

In other words, even in a sport that’s become obsessed with the passing game, a strong rushing attack is still an important part of the national championship formula.

The good news is the Bulldogs’ running backs might not be too far off the mark from where recent first-round backs were before their national championship seasons.

Alabama’s Najee Harris -- who was taken with the 24th pick in April’s draft by Pittsburgh -- gained 1,466 yards on the ground for the Crimson Tide, but his average yards per carry (5.8) was virtually indistinguishable from UGA’s leading rusher in 2020, Zamir White (5.4), despite White collecting only 779 rushing yards last season.

Harris -- playing in an offense that bordered on being unstoppable and spent most of the season nursing commanding leads -- simply had the benefit of more carries with which to compile stats. Harris had 251 on the season, compared to just 144 for White.

Also, how many would have projected former LSU running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire as a future first-round pick after his sophomore season in 2018 when he had just 658 yards rushing? Who could’ve predicted the breakout that would occur for the eventual first-round pick of Kansas City in 2019 when he amassed more than 1,400 yards rushing and nearly 500 receiving yards.

There might not be a UGA back who offers a similar rise in 2021, but don’t discount second-year offensive coordinator Todd Monken’s chances of cultivating a star.

Offensive Line:

The versatile Jamaree Salyer is already earning draft buzz ahead of his senior season even without the certainty of whether he’ll start at guard or tackle for UGA this season.

That’s good news for the Bulldogs who’ll need everything Salyer can offer to help craft an offensive line that’s national championship quality.

UGA was its customary self when it came to run blocking in 2020. The analytics site, Football Outsiders, ranked UGA 11th nationally in 2020 in its so-called “line yards” metric on running plays. However, UGA didn’t fare as well in pass protection. UGA was just 54th nationally in sack rate -- allowing a sack on 5.8 percent of its dropbacks last season.

The Bottom Line:

There are few guarantees regarding UGA offensive players in next year’s draft, and it’s possible that the Bulldogs could be excluded entirely. However, there’s reason for optimism that a couple of UGA stars could stand out, and if they do, the Bulldogs’ national championship hopes will be boosted in the process.