The 2025 National Football League’s Annual Player Selection Meeting has drawn to a close. 600,000 people descended upon Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin to celebrate as 257 players heard their name called during this year’s Draft. Here’s what you need to know regarding this year’s Draft Class!
The Atlanta Falcons FINALLY draft a highly-rated Georgia player
Jalon Walker, an edge rusher from Georgia, was drafted by the Falcons with their 15th pick. Walker led the Bulldogs in sacks (6.5), tackles for loss (11) and defensive pressures (34). Inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium, some fans were barking as they expressed their approval.
“He can do all kinds of different things, so he’s definitely a threat,” Falcons head coach Raheem Morris said. “He definitely provides a threat for us that will allow us to utilize him in the most captivating ways. We’ve got a lot of coaches up there that are just gunning to use him and running to find different ways to get it done. I just can’t say enough good things about him.”
The long-running joke is the Atlanta Falcons have a bias against players from UGA. It appears that streak has ended. Later in the first round, Atlanta selected pass rusher James Pearce Jr. from the University of Tennessee with the 26th pick.
Philadelphia Eagles continue to draft Georgia Players
If it isn’t broken, don’t fix it! The defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles drafted Smael Mondon Jr. in the fifth round. In the classic win over Georgia Tech, Mondon tallied a career-high 13 tackles and a sack for loss.
With the selection, Mondon becomes the eighth Georgia Bulldog on the Eagles roster. Seven of those players on this list are from Georgia’s national championship teams:
- DT Jalen Carter
- DB Lewis Cine
- DT Jordan Davis
- LB Nakobe Dean
- LB Azeez Ojulari
- CB Kelee Ringo
- LB Nolan Smith Jr.
- LB Smael Mondon Jr.
Detroit Lions hop onto the Georgia Bulldogs bandwagon
Detroit Lions General Manager Brad Holmes and Head Coach Dan Campbell selected three Bulldogs in this year’s draft. The Lions selected offensive lineman Tate Ratledge, Dominic Lovett and safety Dan Jackson. But he had an affinity for Georgia long before this weekend.
“Before I got this job, I was living in Atlanta, Georgia,” Holmes said. “For a long time, I was just scouting the Southeast, and then when the Rams moved out to L.A., I just kind of stayed in Atlanta, but obviously have been to Georgia practices a lot, and have been around that program a lot. And it’s unlike anything else that I’ve seen live in terms of a college practice, in terms of just the intensity.”
Ohio State has the most players drafted from one school in 2025
The 2025 College Football Playoff National Champion Ohio State Buckeyes had 14 players drafted, the most from any school this year. They also had seven players drafted in the first two rounds. The fourteen selected ties their school record from 2004.
“There’s been some great, great teams in the last 50 some-odd years at Ohio State,” head coach Ryan Day said after winning the National Championship. “Great teams, great players. Only three of them have been national champs, and these guys are one of them.”
Alabama extends first-round draft picks record
Alabama’s Tyler Booker and Jihaad Campbell were selected by the Dallas Cowboys and the Philadelphia Eagles in the first round Thursday night. With those two selections, the Crimson Tide has produced at least one first-round pick in each of the last 17 years. 49 first-rounders were produced by Nick Saban and current head coach Kalen DeBoer over that stretch.
The SEC: It Just Means More
26 of the 32 players drafted in the first round came from the Southeastern Conference and the Big Ten Conference. In the concurrent Name, Image, and Likeness and Transfer Portal eras, the cream will continue to rise to the top. All totaled, the SEC had 79 players drafted this year. The Big Ten had 71 players drafted. The Atlantic Coast Conference had 42 players drafted and the Big 12 Conference had 31 players selected.
Georgia led the SEC with 13 players drafted in the 2025 NFL Draft. Plus, The Bulldogs had three players go in the first round, all from the defensive side of the ball. Mykel Williams, Jalon Walker, and Malaki Starks were the three stars from the ‘Dawgs. This has happened three out of the last four years.
