Part of the allure of the NFL draft is that you can always look ahead.

Not just when it comes to making projections about players who were just drafted, but even further into the future. Just as soon as the 2026 NFL draft cycle came to a close, the NFL draft industrial complex has already moved on to the 2027 NFL draft.

ESPN, CBS, The Athletic and others have already rolled out early NFL mock drafts for next year 2027. It’s hard not to be excited about the talent, with big names like Arch Manning, Jeremiah Smith and even a few high-end Georgia players projected to come off the board on the first night of the 2027 NFL draft.

These mock drafts give us a little more insight into how the national media views the high-end talent for teams entering next season. And there are a few Georgia-specific takeaways we have when looking into the various NFL mock drafts.

Georgia’s top talent is on the defensive side of the ball

Jordan Reid of ESPN, Dane Bruglar of The Athletic and Cooper Petagna of CBS Sports all had two Bulldogs in their respective first rounds. They were both on the defensive side of the football and both play in the secondary.

The early consensus is that cornerback Ellis Robinson will be the first Georgia player off the board, followed by safety KJ Bolden. Robinson gets a slight bump because of his positional value, even if Bolden is the more proven player to this point in time.

Bolden and Robinson are two great building blocks, but they’re not the only draft-eligible Bulldogs worth knowing going into next season. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see Chris Cole blossom this year after he led Georgia in sacks. No one had Ohio State standout Arvell Reese landing coming off the board with the No. 5 overall pick in this year’s draft. Cole could very much follow a similar trajectory.

Elsewhere on the defense, Raylen Wilson and Gabe Harris are seniors worth following. They were both top-100 prospects per the 247Sports Composite rankings as recruits and have played plenty of snaps during their time in college.

Third-year players like Justin Williams, Quintavius Johnson and Demello Jones could all also see their stocks take a big jump.

Perhaps the largest reason to be excited about Georgia’s defense next season is defensive tackle Elijah Griffin. Yet unlike those names listed above, he is not draft eligible for the upcoming season.

Offense does face some questions

While there’s a lot to like about the talent on Georgia’s defense, there are some questions about what the Bulldogs have on the offensive side of the ball.

In none of the mock drafts was a Georgia offensive player mentioned.

That’s not to say that Georgia is lacking completely on the offensive side of the ball. It’s just that from an NFL perspective, quarterback Gunner Stockton, offensive lineman Earnest Greene and running back Nate Frazier aren’t seen in the same light.

All three have proven to be productive and winning players at the collegiate level. Georgia will need them to be even better in 2026 if the Bulldogs are to have a better end to the season than they did last year.

Indiana, though, serves as a counter to the idea that NFL draft picks define collegiate success. Indiana had eight NFL draft picks, tied with Georgia for seventh among college programs. Yet the Hoosiers were clearly the sport’s top team last year.

And none of the early 2026 NFL mock drafts had Fernando Mendoza as the No. 1 overall pick. Mendoza and the Hoosiers show just how much can change in the course of a year.

There’s a clear most talented SEC team

While the SEC had only seven first-round picks this year, it could very well double that with next year’s haul. Reid had 19 players from the conference going in the first round, while Petagna had 17 and Bruglar had 16. Nate Tice of Yahoo! had 15 of his top 30 players coming from the conference.

Georgia, LSU, Alabama and Missouri could all have multiple first-round picks. Yet it’s Texas who could have as many as six first-rounders next year, depending on which mock draft you use.

The Longhorns will be led by Manning, who is widely seen as the No. 1 overall prospect entering the year. He’ll have offensive tackle Trevor Goodsby and wide receiver Cam Coleman on the offensive side of the ball. Defensive end Colin Simmons is also seen as a first-round.

While Georgia has won the SEC in each of the past two seasons, it seems the Longhorns will be the favorites based on available talent. The Bulldogs have beaten Texas three times over the last two years, including a 35-10 beating in Athens in 2025.

The only way Georgia and Texas could face each other in 2026 would be in the SEC championship or the College Football Playoff.

Other players to note on Georgia schedule

While Georgia doesn’t face Texas, it will still see plenty of talented players on its 2026 schedule.

Among the possible first-rounders it will play include:

A quick look at that list shows how critical it will be for Georgia to be strong along the offensive line and to stop the run. Its offensive tackles will need to be strong to give Stockton time to throw, while it faces three-straight talented running backs in Baugh, Lacy and Hardy in the closing stretch of the season.

Georgia ranked fourth in the country in rushing defense last season. If the Bulldogs can replicate that in 2026, it will mean Georgia subdued some of the best running backs in the country.