Despite a slew of other talented juniors declaring for the NFL Draft in recent days, former Georgia defensive end Charles Johnson is now ranked as the No. 17 prospect overall and the No. 3 defensive end on the big board of ESPN.com NFL Draft guru Mel Kiper, Jr. Listed at 6-foot-2, 275 pounds but probably closer to 6-1, 280, Johnson led the Bulldogs (9-4) this season with 9.5 sacks and 19 tackles for loss.
His lack of height may drop him down some draft boards, but Johnson's performances against SEC competition on film, his Herculean strength and explosion of the snap combine to make him a probable a four-down player and first-year NFL starter at strongside end in a 4-3 alignment.
Johnson, nicknamed "the Big Bully," is likely to be the sixth former Georgia defensive lineman drafted in the first round over the last seven years.
Fellow Bulldog defensive end Quentin Moses gives Georgia a chance for another first-round draft pick in the upcoming April NFL Draft. Moses was seen as a probable top-10 pick and possibly a top-5 selection before a disappointing senior season.
The 6-foot-5, 254-pound Moses is no longer on Kiper's big board of top 25 prospects, but ranks fifth among all his defensive end prospects, four of whom are on the big board.
With the addition of Arkansas superstar Jamaal Anderson, Johnson and Florida BCS national championship game standout Jarvis Moss to a strong group of seniors led by Gaines Adams of Clemson, this is shaping up to be one of the deepest and most athletic groups of defensive end prospects in the history of the NFL Draft.
That may drop Moses into the early second round, particularly since he needs to add weight to be a fulltime NFL starter. Right now he projects as a situational pass rusher as a rookie in a 4-3 NFL defensive alignment and may intrigue some teams as a 3-4 outside linebacker.
However, if Moses runs well at the NFL Scouting Combine and/or during individual workouts, he can easily work his way back among the top 25 overall prospects.
Moses is a high-character individual from Athens who stuck around for his senior season to earn his degree. Georgia fans should hope that both Moses and Johnson are first-round selections.
Incidentally, the sustained success Georgia has of putting defensive linemen into the NFL over the last decade should be a major asset in the recruitment of Cameron Heyward and Miguel Chavis, a pair of prep defensive linemen who are among the three most coveted undecided prep prospects remaining on the UGA recruiting board.
