Another NFL Draft is in the books, and once again, the University of Georgia finds itself standing atop the mountain. Under the relentless drive of head coach Kirby Smart, the Bulldogs’ dynasty only grows stronger, no matter how many critics try to chip away at it. Despite QB1 Carson Beck’s $4M Miami move and 15 other exits post-2024 season, any talk of Georgia’s decline was quickly silenced by their strong draft showing. The 2025 NFL Draft only reinforced one simple truth: Georgia’s struggles last season weren’t about a lack of talent; they were just another chapter in the grind of maintaining a college football empire.

The facts are impossible to ignore. Georgia’s 2025 draft was huge, with 13 players picked, including three in the first round—making it eight straight years under Kirby Smart with a Round 1 selection, totaling 20 in his era. Host Matt DeBary of Dawg Post crushed the lingering narratives around “recruiting” with a heavy hand, saying, “If you watched the NFL draft this past weekend, you know that that narrative is dead. It is gone. It should not be brought up.” DeBary didn’t stop there, calling out the shifting culture while reminding everyone why Georgia’s method still works.

“I know a lot of you are not super thrilled with where college football is going, right? There are recruits who are picking money over development. There are guys that have been leaning Georgia’s way who, at the last minute, either flip or sign somewhere else, like Justus Terry, yada yada yada. I get all that, but recruiting absolutely still matters, and you should still follow it.”

DeBary pointed directly to Kirby Smart’s recruiting philosophy as the foundation of the Bulldogs’ continued success. “Kirby Smart has said multiple times, actually over and over and over again, we want to build our program through high school. We will occasionally go to the transfer portal to pick up guys that can help us out and, you know, address needs here and there, but they want to build their program from high school. And you saw it in the NFL Draft,” DeBary emphasized. Georgia’s 2025 draftees were a living showcase of that plan. Out of the 13 players selected, 11 were signed out of high school, stayed through their college careers, won championships, and are now NFL-bound. It’s a clean, surgical execution of a recruiting blueprint that most programs can only dream of.

The story of players like Mykel Williams, Jalon Walker, and Malaki Starks only further proves Smart’s model works. All three were first-round selections in 2025, leaving no room for doubt about the Bulldogs’ ability to recruit, develop, and elevate talent. Williams went No. 11 overall to the San Francisco 49ers. Walker was snagged at No. 15 by the Atlanta Falcons. Starks found his new NFL home at No. 27 with the Baltimore Ravens. As DeBary noted, these players didn’t just arrive at Georgia through the portal or bounce between programs—they committed out of high school.

They all stayed the course, developed, and cashed in the right way. It’s the ultimate validation of Smart’s pitch to recruits: “Hey, you know, in some instances, yeah, if you’re looking for a check, if you’re looking for that one-time check to sign with a team, probably not going to be us, okay? Here’s what we can do for you. But we’re here to offer you the big check, the NFL check, right? And it worked for a lot of guys.” Smart’s ability to marry elite recruiting with elite development has created a pipeline that feeds the NFL almost automatically at this point. It’s not just about stacking five-star signees; it’s about molding them into first-round talents who thrive at the next level. That formula has allowed Smart to churn out NFL-ready athletes at a clip few programs can match—and to do so while maintaining national championship contention year after year.

In a jaw-dropping stat that says it all, Georgia under Kirby Smart now boasts more first-round draft picks (20) than total losses (19) since he took the reins in 2016. The SEC Network captured the gravity of that achievement perfectly: “Georgia has more first-round draft picks than losses in the Kirby Smart era.” The Bulldogs have built a machine—one that hums with precision, power, and proof of concept.

Kirby Smart is ready to fill big shoes for Georgia’s defense

The value of snagging a talented edge rusher at No. 15 was just too sweet for NFL teams to pass up—and now, Georgia has a new challenge on its hands. With Walker off to the pros after a monster 2024 season (60 tackles, a team-high 11 tackles for loss, and 6.5 sacks), Kirby Smart and the Bulldogs need someone to step up fast.

ESPN’s college football experts took a crack at identifying replacements for each 2025 first-round pick, and insider Chris Low pointed to a name Georgia fans should get very familiar with: Chris Cole.

“Since the day Kirby Smart took over at Georgia, the Bulldogs have specialized in developing linebackers and edge rushers,” Low explained. “Walker was the latest and followed in a long line of Georgia defenders who made life miserable for opposing quarterbacks. He won the Butkus Award last season as the nation’s top linebacker. Now, it’s Cole’s turn to show what he can do—and if he can move around and play all the same roles as Walker.”

The 6-3, 235-pound Cole was already named to the SEC All-Freshman Team and turned heads this spring. Fellow linebacker Justin Williams even said Cole is “like J-Walk,” able to rush, cover, and stop the run. And let’s not forget—Cole was a 5-star HS recruit himself. So, while Walker’s gone, the next Bulldog pass-rushing force is locked, loaded, and likely on the fast track to his own big payday.