ATHENS — Georgia football continued to cash in on player development like no other program via the 2024 NFL Draft.

“The NFL knows what they are getting from those (Georgia) guys,” former NFL scout and Senior Bowl executive director Jim Nagy said.

Indeed, two of the Bulldogs’ eight players selected in this draft were first-round picks – Brock Bowers and Amarius Mims – giving Kirby Smart a statistic that will travel well in any recruiting circle.

Smart, in his eight years leading the program, now has more first-round picks (17) than losses (16). Five of those losses came in Smart’s first season leading the program, back in 2016.

More recently, Georgia has established itself as the most elite program when it comes to producing NFL Draft picks.

The Bulldogs have had 42 players selected in the past four NFL drafts – tops among other championship programs:

• Georgia 42

• Alabama 37

• Michigan 35

• LSU 29

• Ohio State 26

Georgia’s ability to consistently produce draft picks factors into Smart’s ability to recruit amid a new collegiate football landscape featuring NIL-inducements.

It has led to what some call the “Kirby discount,” where prospects pass up higher financial offers at the collegiate level to play for Georgia where they can ultimately earn more at the professional level.

“It (NFL draft) is a great sell for the kids that’ll listen,” Smart said when asked by DawgNation at Pro Day how UGA’s NFL draft prowess factors into recruiting.

“There’s a lot of them that want to ask about NIL …. I think it’s much more important how you develop players than how much NIL you make.”

And, while Georgia is well-known for its ability to recruit 5-star prospects, a closer look at this year’s Bulldogs’ draft class reveals it wasn’t all about talent.

Four of the eight Georgia players were only 3-star prospects.

• TE Brock Bowers (13th overall, Las Vegas) – 4 star

• OT Amarius Mims (18th overall, Cincinnati) – 5 star

• WR Ladd McConkey (34th overall, San Diego) – 3 star

• CB Kamari Lassiter (42nd overall, Houston) – 4 star

• SS Javon Bullard (58th overall, Green Bay) – 3 star

• DB Tykee Smith (89th overall, Tampa Bay) – 3 star

• C Sedrick Van Pran-Granger (141st overall, Buffalo) – 4 star

• DT Zion Logue (197th overall, Atlanta), -- 3 star

Smart noted how the player development and success added up in the program’s historical run.

“Most of (2024 players drafted) have been part of 46 of the last 48 games, (when) they’ve come out on top,” said Smart, noting a span dating back into the 2020 season within which Georgia won two national titles and won an SEC-record 29 consecutive games.

“There’s a reason why we’ve won those games. You have good football players, and it equates to that.”