MOBILE, Ala. — Georgia played plenty of elite competition this season, and there’s more of that to come for the five Bulldogs in the Reese’s Senior Bowl on Saturday.
Georgia players are part of the designated “American” all-star squad that will face an Oregon-heavy “National” team at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday (TV: NFL Network).
Smael Mondon, Arian Smith, Trevor Etienne, Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins and Dan Jackson were part of a UGA team that played seven of its 14 games this season against teams that were ranked in the Top 10 at different points of the season — six of those games taking place away from Sanford Stadium.
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The Bulldogs players will don the “G” helmet one final time at Hancock-Whitney Stadium on the campus of the University of South Alabama looking to show just what makes Coach Kirby Smart’s program so special.
Here’s a look at what each of the UGA players needs to prove in the Senior Bowl game on Saturday:
Arian Smith
You know it, he knows, NFL coaches know it: Catch the ball. That’s it, and that’s something Smith did to the tune of a team-leading 817 yards. Smith had some great catches in Senior Bowl practices, too, but also some drops. Smith is expect to run a low 4.2 at the NFL combine, so a good performance in the Senior Bowl game would go a long way for him.
Dan Jackson
Senior Bowl executive director Jim Nagy loves “Dirty Dan” almost as much as Kirby Smart and Jackson’s teammates. Jackson’s hard work, leadership and attitude is irresistible, but he’s got to run the right number at the NFL combine, and he’s got to show the physicality in the Senior Bowl game that makes him worthy of being a second-day pick.
Trevor Etienne
Etienne’s burst and wiggle is obvious, as is his great field vision and cutting ability. At the very least a third-down back, Etienne hopes he can prove worthy of being a three-down back. That means Etienne needs to show he can step into linebackers blitzing and throw aggressive blocks with his 202-pound frame.
Smael Mondon
Mondon has patrolled the field sideline-to-sideline throughout the week of Senior Bowl practices and shown the desire to step into holes on run fits aggressively. Mondon’s foot injury had slowed him right up until the Georgia-Tennessee game, and from that point he turned it on. Mondon is moving quickly up the NFL Draft boards, and a strong showing on Saturday will put a bow on this part of the draft process.
Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins
This athletic young defensive end wants to prove he can play defensive tackle as well as end, but he’ll be challenged to stand out in this sort of format. Ingram-Dawkins flashed at times for Georgia, but he had his inconsistencies. That shouldn’t be a problem with limited snaps on Saturday, and it will be up to Ingram-Dawkins to make the most of his time on the field and justify his decision to come out a year early.
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