Carson Beck is generating No. 1 pick hype, but he's not the only Georgia Bulldogs player NFL scouts will be monitoring this college football season.
The Bulldogs may not have gone to the College Football Playoff last season, but they were back-to-back national champions in 2021 and 2022. Now, they enter the 2024 season as contenders once again thanks to head coach Kirby Smart and a roster loaded with NFL-caliber talent.
There are a ton of draft prospects for fans to keep an eye on, but let's take a look at the three biggest names NFL draft scouts will be monitoring throughout the year.
Carson Beck, Quarterback
The 2025 quarterback class isn't as exciting as the 2024 one. Still, Carson Beck is the early favorite to be QB1, and potentially the first overall pick.
Beck turned into an efficient pro-style passer throughout last season. He completed 72.4 percent of his passes, and finished third in the FBS with an adjusted completion percentage of 80.6 percent while averaging 9.5 yards per pass attempt.
Along with prototypical size at 6-foot-4 and 220 pounds, Beck has an NFL-caliber arm to deliver the ball with zip and accuracy. He has just enough athletic ability to force defenses to respect his mobility, but does a great job throwing within structure and timing that he rarely needs to use his legs.
There are some questions about Beck's ability to take some off of the ball and handle the underneath game more efficiently. However, he checks so many boxes for a prototypical passer that it's easy to see why he's already drawing Eli Manning comparisons.
Mykel Williams, EDGE
Beck isn't the only Georgia prospect with No. 1 pick potential.
Mykel Williams has waited patiently behind some dominant defensive linemen for the Bulldogs. However, when on the field, he's flashed some elite potential to be one of the SEC's most dominant defensive players. That was especially the case against the Florida State Seminoles in the Orange Bowl, when he was a one-man wrecking crew in the backfield.
Williams can play all over the defensive line, and plays with elite strength. Even when he's playing with high pad level, his extension and strength can allow him to consistently drive blockers into the backfield through sheer force and will. His 6-foot-5, 265-pound frame with length, strength, and explosiveness makes him play like a 4-3 defensive end would play like if he was built in a lab.
His pad level, technique, and hand usage still need technical refinement. However, that makes what Williams is able to do right now even more terrifying. He has the chance to have a Travon Walker type of pre-draft process next spring to vault into the conversation for the No. 1 pick.
Malaki Starks, Safety
The NFL has always been in Starks' sights, dating back to high school. As a former 5-star recruit and the No. 4 player overall in the 2022 class, Starks looked like an NFL-caliber player before he ever stepped onto a college football field.
Starks wasted no time having an impact on a national title squad, starting as a true freshman. He followed that up with consensus All-American honors this past season.
A 6-foot-1 and 205-pound safety, Starks has the length, downhill explosiveness, and instincts to be a modern NFL safety. He does a great job of understanding and communicating with the rest of the defense to adjust to pre-snap motion, and then quickly diagnoses and reacts to his keys after the snap. He's disciplined, but also explosive once he's ready to react and attack downhill.
It's unclear if Starks has the top-end play speed to handle deep coverage responsibilities against NFL speedsters, and there are times where he can be overaggressive when filling the alley. Still, his physical and mental tools will make him a first-round prospect capable of operating in multiple rules in a modern NFL defense.
Other names to know: DL Nazir Stackhouse, iOL Tate Ratledge, RB Trevor Etienne, WR Dillon Bell, TE Oscar Delp, TE Benjamin Yurosek
