“Be curious. Not judgmental.”

The famous line from the show “Ted Lasso” seems like the proper phrasing to keep in mind when considering which NFL teams have drafted Georgia Bulldogs over the years.

On that topic, most residents of the Peach State would say the Atlanta Falcons are NFL Draft Dawg dodgers. However, the numbers say that’s far too judgmental. There are actually 18 franchises that have drafted fewer Georgia Bulldogs than Atlanta has over the years.

Where the Falcons are guilty is in the realm of early-round picks. There have been just three Dawgs drafted higher than the third round out of 13 total picks. Atlanta does merit some grace here for selecting four Bulldogs since the 2022 draft, including the lone first-rounder (LB Jalon Walker) in 2025.

There’s actually a much deeper regional rant for local sports talk radio to discuss regarding the Falcons not choosing in-state players. Arthur Blank’s franchise has only drafted six players from Georgia Tech in its history, too.

It seems to be a regional thing. The Falcons have only taken 31 players from Alabama (12), Auburn (9) and Florida (10) in their history.

The local perception is one thing, but the reality is the Dallas Cowboys, Las Vegas Raiders and Kansas City Chiefs have ignored Dawgs at much higher rates.

The Raiders have selected just five UGA players over the years. That’s substantial to consider, given the franchise has been part of the NFL since 1970. The then-Oakland Raiders didn’t take their first Bulldog until 1999 with the selection of Matt Stinchcomb.

When the Raiders selected Brock Bowers with the 13th pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, it was actually a much bigger deal than anyone would have thought at the time.

It seems the long-standing AFC West and its most tenured members have had a hard time getting to Clarke County to scout the Dawgs. The Kansas City Chiefs have taken just six Bulldogs over the years. The now-Los Angeles Chargers have only eight UGA picks.

Yet perception does equal reality when it comes to the Philadelphia Eagles and drafting Bulldogs. No NFL franchise has selected more Georgia Bulldogs (27) than the Eagles. The New England Patriots are the only other team that has stocked up as many (five) Bulldog first-round picks.

The Eagles have even selected six Dawgs since the 2022 NFL Draft. That’s more than the Raiders have in their history. That ties the all-time Kansas City total.

While Kirby Smart has stocked Georgia with elite talent over the last decade, a few teams have still drafted elsewhere.

The Dallas Cowboys, Indianapolis Colts, New Orleans Saints, and Washington Commanders have yet to draft a player developed by Smart. Is it a coincidence that none of those franchises have reached the Super Bowl since the Colts and Saints met in 2009? The Cowboys haven’t been since 1995 and the last Super Bowl for the Washington franchise was way back in 1991.

The all-time numbers indicate that the Cowboys have also shown a particular disinterest in Bulldogs.

That franchise hasn’t taken a UGA player since 2011, the longest current drought. Dallas has also never taken a Bulldog in the first round. The highest UGA pick in Cowboys history came when Randall Godfrey was taken No. 49 overall in 1996.

Baltimore, Houston and Jacksonville have only taken 11 combined Bulldogs over the years, but that’s to be expected given the much shorter histories of each of those franchises.

The quick-hit list of things to know about the Dawgs and the NFL Draft will reveal several unique trends:

NOTE: The data compiled in the above tables represent the total NFL draft picks across the many variants of each franchise. The Washington Commanders entry reflects the “Football Team” and “Redskins” incarnations of that team. The same goes for the Los Angeles Chargers, Las Vegas Raiders and Tennessee Titans.