It's a rematch in the College Football Playoff title game. The Georgia Bulldogs take on the Alabama Crimson Tide on Monday night (8 p.m. ET, ESPN), and we wanted to take a closer look at the matchup from an NFL draft perspective.
Who are the prospects you need to know for the 2022 class and beyond? And which team has the best NFL talent overall? We asked ESPN NFL draft analysts Mel Kiper Jr., Todd McShay and Jordan Reid to answer several questions about the players NFL fans should watch closely, and they also gave their predictions for the final score.
Even after a 41-24 loss to Bama in the SEC title game, Georgia is a slight favorite in the game. Both teams, however, have a few potential first-round picks in April's draft, led by Alabama offensive tackle Evan Neal and wide receiver Jameson Williams and Georgia linebacker Nakobe Dean, who could each be top-10 selections.
So who is the best overall prospect in the matchup? Who are the under-the-radar prospects to keep an eye on? And which running back has the highest NFL upside? Kiper, McShay and Reid tell you what you need to know:
Who will be the best NFL prospect on the field Monday night?
McShay: It comes down to a pair of Alabama players -- and neither is eligible for this draft. There's a good chance that defensive end Will Anderson Jr. and quarterback Bryce Young will finish with my two highest grades when we get to April 2023. If I had to choose between the two sophomores right now, Anderson is the slightly better prospect.
The 6-foot-4, 243-pounder is a tough matchup off the edge. He has all the physical tools you look for in a pass-rusher: an explosive first step, strong hands, swift change-of-direction skills, torso flexibility to bend the edge and plenty of burst through the quarterback. Just as importantly, this dude plays every snap like football is about to be taken away from him. His urgency and motor get me fired up every time I'm studying Alabama's defense on tape. Anderson's 17.5 sacks, 74 pressures and 37 tackles for loss all lead the country.
As for Young, the thing that stands out most is his ability to beat defenses with his mind from inside the pocket. He is such a fast processor, and there are times studying his tape that I can't believe he's a first-year starter. His timing, touch and accuracy are outstanding, and he has good arm strength and the mobility to extend plays. His smaller 6-foot, 194-pound frame is mildly concerning, but he has proven durable to this point. He has 4,503 passing yards, 46 passing TDs and only five interceptions this season, and his 88.0 QBR is third in the nation.
Are Bryce Young and Will Anderson the favorites to be the No. 1 pick in 2023?
Kiper: Definitely. They're such elite prospects that they would have had a chance to go 1-2 if they were eligible for April's draft. Young and Anderson play the two most critical positions on the field, and every team needs a great quarterback and edge rusher. Both would be competing for the top spots at their positions if they were in the 2022 class. Anderson is also unique because he already has two seasons of dominant production and could have a third next season. He's a rare prospect.
Of course, there's a long ways to go here, and there's no guarantee. Prospects rise and fall all the time. Ohio State's C.J. Stroud could compete with Young to be the top quarterback, while Georgia lineman Jalen Carter and Alabama cornerback Eli Ricks (who just transferred from LSU) are two other defenders to watch at the top of the 2023 draft.
How high could Jameson Williams go in this draft?
Reid: Because of his unique attributes and upside, the Alabama wide receiver could end up being a top-15 pick. He has come a long ways since being fourth on the Ohio State depth chart at this time last year. Williams, who has 75 catches for 1,507 yards and 15 touchdowns this season, is a highlight play waiting to happen. He has game-changing speed, and he stresses defenses at all three levels of the field. NFL teams are starved for natural playmakers, and Williams could play immediately as a rookie.
The 2022 class doesn't have the same star power as last year -- Ja'Marr Chase, DeVonta Smith and Jaylen Waddle all went in the top 10 picks -- but what this group does have is more depth early on. Along with Williams, we could see as many as six wideouts picked in the first round. Williams, though is a little bit different than any other receiver in this class because of the combination of speed, explosiveness, route running and finishing ability.
Which team has the better 2022 draft talent overall?
McShay: Georgia by a slim margin. The Bulldogs have 17 prospects with draftable grades and nine prospects in my top 100.
Just looking at my top 32 prospects, linebacker Nakobe Dean (No. 8), defensive end Travon Walker (No. 14) and defensive tackle Jordan Davis (No. 26) all make it, while Alabama has just two in the top 32: offensive tackle Evan Neal (No. 3) and Williams (No. 6). Overall, Alabama has 14 draftable players for 2022, including eight in my top 100.
Tell us about the left tackles in this game: Is Evan Neal the best in the 2022 class, and how much has Jamaree Salyer improved his stock?
Kiper: Neal is the clear top offensive lineman in this class. He dominates pass-rushers and mauls defenders in the run game. He has some versatility -- he has started games at both guard and right tackle -- but he could be the next great NFL left tackle. I wouldn't be surprised if Jacksonville, which has the No. 1 pick, takes a long, hard look at him.
Salyer is an interesting evaluation because he has played every single spot along the offensive line in his career. He settled in at left tackle this season, holding his own against Will Anderson Jr. in the SEC title game and playing well against Michigan's combo of Aidan Hutchinson and David Ojabo in the College Football Playoff semifinal. I'm not sure Salyer will play tackle in the NFL, though. At 6-foot-4 and 325 pounds, he might be better at guard. That versatility is very valuable. I don't see Salyer getting out of Round 2 in April's draft.
Let's compare the top two off-ball linebackers in this game: How would you compare Nakobe Dean or Christian Harris as prospects?
Reid: Dean is the better prospect, but Harris is a good player, too. While Dean is undersized at 6-foot and 225 pounds, he's an active player. The middle linebacker's smarts and physicality show up weekly. He plays the game as if he has a battery pack attached to his back and with the same level of energy late in games as he does during the opening drive. Dean, a true sideline-to-sideline threat, is also an outstanding blitzer who can make plays behind the line of scrimmage. Because of his small frame, his biggest improvement will need to come with avoiding climbing blockers in order to keep his frame clean. He could be drafted in the top 15 picks.
Here's what an exec with an NFC team told me about Dean: "He's one of those players where you don't even care about the size because he plays much larger than it. The best linebackers in the league find ways to make plays behind the line and he does that in every single game. Just like he has now, he'll need some big bodies in front of him, but he's a game-changer."
Harris, who operates primarily as the weakside linebacker for the Crimson Tide, is a physical player who isn't shy about running his body through ball carriers. His run-and-tackle abilities show clearly on tape, as he blazes a trail on his pursuit angles with how quickly he reacts to find the ball. His biggest area of improvement must come with his read keys and eye discipline, as he can be easily influenced by motions. Harris will likely be a Day 2 pick who could turn into an NFL starter.
Could Jordan Davis go in Round 1, and where would he fit best?
McShay: He could, but it's certainly not a lock. The 6-foot-6, 340-pound Davis has a rare combination of size and mobility, and standing next to him on the field during pregame of the semifinal and watching him move around in drills was a reminder for me of his unique talent. Davis is an elite run defender who not only eats up a ton of space when occupying double-teams, but also shows the frequent ability to disengage from blocks and go make tackles.
The biggest question mark is his pass-rushing potential in the NFL. He will never be a double-digit sack guy, but if he can add 5-6 per season while getting consistent pressure, he's worth a late-first-round selection. Davis looked capable of that early this season, with improved hand usage and counter moves, but he doesn't seem to be playing with the same urgency of late.
Davis fits best as a nose tackle in a base 3-4 front, but I think he's capable of fitting well in most schemes considering how multiple most defenses are in today's NFL. I have him ranked No. 26 in the class, and right now, I'd predict he falls in the 25-45 range.
Which running back in this game has the highest upside?
Kiper: This is a tough one. I'll go with Georgia's James Cook, but three backs in this matchup all have similar grades from me. Cook is the most explosive. He averaged 6.1 yards per carry this season. He also is a threat in the receiving game; the Bulldogs flank him out wide at times, and he averaged 10.1 yards per catch. Cook is the home-run hitter of the group and the back most likely to be a three-down player in the NFL. He's likely to be a third-round pick.
Zamir White, Cook's teammate in the backfield, is a downhill runner with limited upside in the receiving game. He has averaged 5.3 yards per carry with 21 rushing touchdowns over the past two seasons. I see him as more of a fourth- or fifth-round pick.
Then there's Alabama's Brian Robinson Jr., who just put up 204 yards on Cincinnati. He has 280 touches (249 carries, 31 catches) and 16 touchdowns this season. I really want to see how he works out at the combine in March. For now, like Cook, I think he'll land in the third round.
Who is your favorite under-the-radar prospect in this game?
Reid: Can I take one from each team? I'll start with Georgia interior defensive lineman Devonte Wyatt. Jordan Davis gets a lot of national attention, but his running mate has been outstanding this season. Playing primarily 3-technique, Wyatt is a penetrating and disruptive tackle. At 6-foot-3 and 315 pounds, he has 2.5 sacks this season, but the impact that he has on offenses doesn't always appear in the box score. His versatility as a run defender and pocket pusher as a pass-rusher show up every week on tape. Against the run, he can remain firm at the point of attack, but also win with physical traits and execute fast moves before blockers are able to adjust. Wyatt has three-down value as a pass-rusher and is excellent as a crasher or looper on stunts that create free pathways to the quarterback.
On the other side, defensive tackle Phidarian Mathis is one of the veterans of this Alabama team, but he saved his best for last during a breakout senior season. Coming into the season, he carried lots of Day 3 grades from scouts with whom I talked, but he has catapulted himself into the second- or third-round discussion following this season. At 6-foot-4 and 312 pounds, he's a top-heavy defender who is rock solid along the interior. With brute strength and long arms that help him maintain control as a run defender, he has been much more consistent. The biggest question for Mathis entering this season was his value as a pass-rusher, but he checked the box for that question with nine sacks.
What do you like most about Travon Walker's game?
McShay: He is one of the most underrated prospects in the class, overlooked on a Georgia defense that features nine other draftable prospects. I've had Walker in the first-round range since November, and he keeps rising up my board (No. 14). I think he will be an even better pro than college player.
The thing that really jumps out on tape is his explosiveness. Few guys in this class can generate power from the ground up and walk blockers backward like Walker, which will surely fire up defensive coaches in pre-draft discussions. Those inside the Georgia program and scouts in the Southeast region believe Walker is going to have an eye-popping workout at the combine, which should continue to help the 6-foot-5 and 275-pound defensive lineman's ascending stock.
Does Stetson Bennett have an NFL future?
Kiper: The Georgia quarterback is probably going to be a priority free agent or seventh-round pick, but he has really improved this season. His completion percentage is up almost nine points from last season (55.5% to 64.4%), and he has thrown 27 touchdown passes and just seven picks. You have to give him credit for holding off J.T. Daniels, the USC transfer whom we thought would be the guy for the Bulldogs this season.
Bennett, a former walk-on, is only 5-foot-11 and 190 pounds, but he has played his way into being a potential NFL backup.
After Jameson Williams, who are the wide receiver prospects we should know in this game?
Reid: Georgia's George Pickens looked like a potential first-round pick after the 2020 season, but he tore his ACL in spring practices in March and missed most of the season. Eight months after the injury, he returned in late November and has now played three games, catching four passes for 55 yards.
At 6-foot-3 and 200 pounds, Pickens has the makings of a WR1 candidate. He's still searching to get his legs back underneath him, but he has shown some flashes of returning to form. A dynamic threat down the field with plenty of range at the catch point, scouts are monitoring his situation closely. He could still return to school for the 2022 season. Even with the limited sample size, though, he could be a top-75 selection in this draft.
And I also want to mention Alabama's John Metchie III, who tore his ACL in the SEC title game and won't play Monday. Williams developed into the Tide's top playmaker this season, but Metchie wasn't far behind, as he led the team in catches (96) and also had eight touchdowns before his injury. He hasn't decided on his NFL future, but he could be in the 2022 draft, too.
Make your picks: Who wins this game?
McShay: Georgia, 31-28. I think the Bulldogs' loss to Bama in the SEC Championship was a wake-up call, and Georgia will get after Young more in this one and focus on preventing all of those safety-on-receiver matchups we saw in the first meeting. And the absence of Metchie will hurt Alabama in a big way, taking away Williams' big-play potential and making the Crimson Tide offense less dynamic. Bama's run game was dominant against Cincinnati, but the Georgia run defense is a different animal.
Kiper: Georgia, 31-17. I'm with Todd here, but I don't think it'll be that close. It's really tough to beat a team twice in the same season. The Bulldogs have the better front seven -- really, they have stars at every level of the defense -- and better offensive line. They can shut down Robinson in the run game. They also have a special player we haven't mentioned in true freshman tight end Brock Bowers, who is already a star. What I've said is this: This is the single most important game for any head coach since I've been watching college football. Kirby Smart has to win, because he'll never again have a defense this good.
Reid: Alabama, 31-24. Going against Nick Saban in a big moment is something that I will never do. I think this game will be much more competitive than the first one, but the difference maker once again will be the same. Alabama QB Bryce Young.