Iconic Georgia championship defense elevates NFL interest in where 57 Bulldogs rostered

Matthew Stafford (Georgia Sports Communications) ("Dale Zanine")

By Mike Griffith, DawgNation

May 09, 2022 at 10:37 am EDT

Rarely has a collegiate football unit become so iconic as the 2021 Georgia football defense, the heroes of the Bulldogs’ first national championship since 1980.

The 2022 NFL Draft provided proof positive to its legitimacy, with a record five players selected off Kirby Smart’s elite defensive unit.

“There will not be a defense probably that epic (ever),” former UGA defensive coordinator Dan Lanning told CBS sports.

For that very reason, Georgia fans will follow the careers of the departing stars into the NFL like no group before them.

The fact former Bulldogs’ quarterback Matthew Stafford emerged as the NFL’s story of the year last season by leading the L.A. Rams to a Super Bowl win caught the eye of most all of the Georgia fans.