‘Loaded’ Georgia draft class
McShay laughed when asked about Georgia’s draft class this year.
“Where do I start with this group? That was the longest individual group I had to do in terms of watching tape,” he said.
McShay listed linebackers Nakobe Dean and Quay Walker, defensive tackles Jordan Davis and Devonte Wyatt, defensive end Travon Walker and safety Lewis Cine as former Bulldogs who especially stand out to him on the defensive side of the ball.
“This group is loaded,” McShay said.
He opined that Walker will have the biggest impact on the league long-term, saying the lineman “has his best football still ahead of him,” but McShay suggested that Walker should start at defensive tackle in the NFL before later transitioning to the edge.
As for immediate impact as a rookie? McShay is high on Dean, who’s been mocked to the Vikings by a couple of experts.
“I just think his football I.Q. is better than any defensive player in this draft,” McShay noted.
While scouts have criticized Dean for things like “average arm length, some missed tackles and doesn’t have great timed speed,” McShay isn’t at all concerned.
“I don’t care about timed speed if you play fast. He plays fast,” he said of Dean. “He’s two steps ahead of every other linebacker on that defense, and you’ve got [Channing] Tindall and Quay Walker, who both could be second-round picks. I think Walker’s definitely going to be a second-round pick, probably early, and then Tindall’s going to be late second-round, third-round range. And I’m talking two full steps ahead of them – misdirections, play-actions, all that stuff.
“I love his makeup as a football player,” McShay added.