Green at the top of Richt's List

With the NFL draft just hours away, three Georgia Bulldogs Cordy Glenn, Brandon Boykin and Orson Charles must be nervously tapping their toes, wondering if/when they will be taken in Round One. Glenn is nearly a lock to go Thursday while Charles and/or Boykin could sneak into the first round or go early on Day Two. How will these three stack up on the list of Georgia players recruited by Mark Richt, developed by Mark Richt and sent to the NFL by Mark Richt? That is likely a question that won’t be answered until several years from now. One can look back at Richt’s tenure and see a host of first round picks, but who are Richt’s crown jewels when it comes to the NFL Draft? I am glad you asked. It would be hard to make this list without mentioning the player that went No. 1 overall in 2009 Matthew Stafford. The gunslinger from Highland Park, TX, was selected as the top player by the Detroit Lions in 2009 after three years in Athens. His explosive teammate Knowshon Moreno was taken 11 picks later by the Denver Broncos. While Moreno has been a disappointment in the NFL, Stafford stayed healthy last year and is being looked at as one of the top young guns in the league. Before those two, you’d need to go back to Thomas Davis in 2005 for another first round selection brought in by Richt and company to Athens. David Pollack was ushered in to Athens by Jim Donnan whose NFL career was cut short by injury. Davis, however, has been a key player on recent Panthers defenses. The team brought him back, just as it brought back Charles Johnson, a third rounder in 2007. Johnson’s big contract before last season raised eyebrows nationally even though many from the southeast knew of his potential. Mohamed Massaquoi was selected by Cleveland in 2009 with a second round pick, and the wide receiver has been serviceable for the Browns, just as Asher Allen has been during his NFL days. But the player that Richt should be most proud of is last year’s No. 4 overall selection A.J. Green. The Bengals wide receiver likely would have been the rookie of the year had a gentleman named Cam Newton not torn up the NFL rookie QB record books in Carolina last year. Green has a chance to be a Pro Bowler for years to come and will go down as Richt’s No. 1 NFL draft choice of all time. Stafford could eventually come around, but for now, Green has to receive the nod as best ever under Richt.