A.J. Green could be No. 1 overall pick in NFL draft
A.J. Green could be Georgia's second No. 1 overall NFL draft pick in the last three years, joining Matthew Stanford.
With Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck announcing that he’s returning to school for another season, there’s only one question: Does A.J. Green send him a thank you note?
If Green says he’s coming back to Georgia, it would be even more stunning than Luck’s decision. I follow this general rule: When a college player sells his Independence Bowl jersey for $1,000, he’s ready to make money.
By Luck staying in school, Green could be the first overall pick. That would give Georgia two first overall selections in the last three years (Matthew Stafford went No. 1 to Detroit in 2008.) It would be a nice honor for the school but there also could be a sense of, “Why didn’t we do more with them?”
Green is considered a lock top-five selection. ESPN’s Mel Kiper ranked Green as the fourth best prospect on his current “Big Board” (requires Insider subscription), behind Luck, Clemson defensive end Da’Quan Bowers and Auburn defensive tackle Nick Fairley.
With no other quarterback worthy of being drafted first overall, there’s no obvious No. 1 pick. But several mock drafts already have Green slotted in the No. 1 spot and going to the Carolina Panthers. Excerpts from a couple of them:
– The Orlando Sentinel: “Carolina has got to be upset that Andrew Luck, who was a lock here, is returning to Stanford. They could go with a defensive lineman here, but they are hurting bad at wide receiver and may take Green as an athletic, flashy pick to try and help Jimmy Clausen and pacify a restless fan base.”
– NFL Fanhouse: “So Andrew Luck won’t be the QB in Carolina next season. It’s a bad development for the Panthers, obviously, but what can you do? In this case, Carolina will either ride Jimmy Clausen or add a veteran QB (Vince Young? Donovan McNabb?) — either way, the Panthers need to give that quarterback some weapons. Green is an absolute stud.
Based on recent first overall picks and inflation, Luck left potentially $55 million of guaranteed salary on the table (pending changes in the next CBA that could cap rookie salaries). Two years ago, Stafford signed a contract worth up to $78 million, with $41.7 million guaranteed.
Maybe he and Green can build a library on campus or something.
– By Jeff Schultz
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698 comments Add your comment
D A Double U G
January 7th, 2011
10:41 am
I think I actually bother you Jeff.
Because you know I am somewhat right. Try writing more than 1 positive article a week. Then teach your cousin, Mark Bradley how to do the same.
RambleOn84
January 7th, 2011
10:42 am
And I definitely do admire his decision…I only hope for his sake that his current coach is just admirable and turns down the mega-bucks and prestige of an NFL job.
ATL XMAN
January 7th, 2011
10:42 am
guys dont forget these recruits are only staying 2 or 3 years at uga. richt and the bulldogs record would be way different if they all played there 4 years. your looking at this the wrong way. it actually shows how good a job mark richt and company are doing in preparing these guys for the next level so quickly. reason why UGA can bring in some great recruits here. when they see these guys doing well in the pros so fast. moreno, stafford, asher allen, tim jennings, reshard jones…the list goes on.
jarvis
January 7th, 2011
10:42 am
Time will tell if it was a huge mistake.
Coming back for anouther season certainly didn’t work out well for Charlie Whitehurst.
RambleOn84
January 7th, 2011
10:43 am
Ha ha, Schultzie!
That one made me spit out the coffee I drank several days ago.
Now to find a washcloth and/or a new keyboard.
Will
January 7th, 2011
10:44 am
I’m confused why we have so many top 10 draft pics but yet we can’t seem to score higher recruiting numbers? Every high school kid in the nation should want to come to UGA to play in this pro-style offense that has sent Stafford, Mo Mass, Knowshon, AJ and several OLineman in the past few drafts. I don’t get it.
jarvis
January 7th, 2011
10:46 am
Will…seriously?
You don’t understand why a kid wouldn’t want to go to a 6-7 ball club when the schools in the surrounding states are just as prone to produce NFL talent AND win more games than they lose?
RambleOn84
January 7th, 2011
10:47 am
Will,
UGA has been in the top 10 of recruiting every year since Richt has been there, save for possibly one or two.
What more do you want?
Dangling_Fury
January 7th, 2011
10:47 am
so as i understand it… i think peter king or morty was reporting yesterday that the Rookie salary cap could be ironed out before this draft and that Luck was really only passing over a 5 year, 15 million dollar deal… potentially, if thats the case this year or next… a rookie salary cap could mean tons of teams trying to move up into the top of the draft like teams have been afraid to do in recent history. that could be fun. and make predicting the draft a complete crap shoot.
Walker, Texas Ranger
January 7th, 2011
10:48 am
The last WR taken #1 overall, Keyshawn Johnson…Before him Irving Fryer. I highly doubt Green goes #1 overall. As for Cam, he would only go #1 if the Raiders were picking first. By the way, the last 8 #1 overalls that were QB…Stafford, J. Russell, A. Smith, Eli Manning, C. Palmer, D. Carr, M. Vick & Tim Couch. Doesn’t sound like the QB with the first pick is a very safe pick to me….unless you were Lucky
D A Double U G
January 7th, 2011
10:49 am
That was a good one Jeff.
Sound like a typical Tech homer with your 12 year old fast food jokes.
You have no clue how to take criticism. I am not the only person who feels you are one of the most negative sports writers(sic) in the business. Why write for a local sports outlet if you have a vendetta seemingly against every local team. Nobody wants to come on here and read the cheap shots you take constantly about the teams we are so emotionally and financially invested in.
Go write for a National outlet if you want to constantly antagonize people. Or better yet, go write for The Onion, where your stories(sic) would have a much better fit.
And Jeff, did you say add a 4th pattie on that burger for your wife?? A girl’s gotta maintain, you know?
jarvis
January 7th, 2011
10:49 am
Whatever the NFL does, it will be done well. They are the gold standard for running a sports entity properly.
D A Double U G
January 7th, 2011
10:51 am
(now watch everybody, I will be banned, for making a cheap shot back at Jeff, just like he did me)
jarvis
January 7th, 2011
10:52 am
That entire rant was nonsense except the last sentence. DA Double U G, that was a really good comeback.
Kudos
SEC fan
January 7th, 2011
10:52 am
Dumb if true..
Someone is still paranoid....
January 7th, 2011
10:55 am
D A Double U G
January 7th, 2011
10:51 am
(now watch everybody, I will be banned, for making a cheap shot back at Jeff, just like he did me)
Paul in RDU
January 7th, 2011
10:56 am
12 year old fast food?
Wow – that’s got to be pretty rancid
RambleOn84
January 7th, 2011
10:57 am
D A Double,
Jeff didn’t imply you worked at Wendy’s because you are a UGA fan. He did so because of your crappy attitude and sense of entitlement, which is not conducive to a real job. It is very apparent you have no actual success in your life because of your need to tear down others, and that does not just happen towards Jeff Schultz as we all know by being subjected to your comments day in and day out.
Jeff writes the stories as they come to him. Sometimes they are negative. Do you really think he should write glowing articles in favor of UGA after a 6-7 season? He also writes some negative stuff about Tech, of which I am a fan. Sometimes I don’t like it, but at least it’s honest.
If you want someone to always report favorably about your favorite team, read the Athens paper. Or better yet, take some initiative and start your own paper/blog site and spin every negative thing the team does into a puff piece that would make Obama’s PR staff blush with envy.
Quit being such a drain and make something of yourself.
Skitty Fritty
January 7th, 2011
10:57 am
Why hasn’t AJ announced he is going pro yet? What are the advantages to waiting for him?
Walker, Texas Ranger
January 7th, 2011
10:59 am
5…4..3….2…1…Rant
Chopper
January 7th, 2011
11:01 am
I’m sorry but AJ Green aint gonna be the #1 pick in the draft. NFL teams do not like to tie up that much guaranteed money on a position that is given to being a diva. Calvin Johnson was a better talent than Green and topped out at the #2 pick. And Calvin Johnson was a coach’s dream because of his work ethic and attitude on top of his enormous talent. Green has shown immaturity and lack of discipline with his suspension this season. And despite how talented Calvin was, he did not elevate the Detroit Lions the way you expect a #2 pick to do. A team without an established QB is not going to spend $40 million guaranteed on a WR with character concerns.
Pago Pago Dawg
January 7th, 2011
11:01 am
aj green and Andrew Luck..two VERY different types of men! One has character….the other……
Paul in RDU
January 7th, 2011
11:01 am
RambleOn84
I am sure you’ll be seeing a post from DA Double pretty soon slamming you because you are a GT fan
D A Double U G
January 7th, 2011
11:01 am
When sis I make this a UGA thing???
There you go Ramble, getting offended thinking everything is a UGA Entitlement thing.
Outside Observer
January 7th, 2011
11:02 am
Haha. Shultz, keep the great work coming. Write what you want. If you want to impress the dawgtard, write all about how amazing Georgia football is even when times aren’t so good. Don’t write about UGA basketball though because dawgtard thinks it is a waste of the athletic budget that could go to the football program. No program is perfect, there will always be negatives to write about. Some people can accept the criticism. Others get quite defensive. Oh well, you can’t please everyone and this guy is not worth wasting your time over.
RambleOn84
January 7th, 2011
11:02 am
Outside of the jersey incident, I don’t think Green had any character concerns.
And the whole jersey thing is blown way out of proportion. The kid wanted/needed some money and he sold HIS property.
Yes, it’s a rules violation, and should be treated as such (regardless of how stupid the rule is), but it’s hardly a character concern.
2010 SEC CHAMPS
January 7th, 2011
11:03 am
“A.J. Green could be No. 1 overall pick in NFL draft”
Highly unlikely.
Joe Tess Fish House
January 7th, 2011
11:04 am
I hope the Panthers pick AJ Gren. They need another thug 2 take Steve Smiths place on the rooseter.
2010 SEC CHAMPS
January 7th, 2011
11:04 am
“I’ve spoken to some NFL folks who think Cam could be top 10 but QBs are crapshoots because each team evaluates them so differently.”
I hope Cam ends up going later in the draft so that he doesn’t end up like Stafford etc. who have all ended up playing in horrible football programs.
Draft
January 7th, 2011
11:05 am
Going no. 1 would be great for AJ and i guess it would be an honor for UGA. Unfortunately it doesn’t really do much good for their success on the field. They still remain a 6-7 team.
Chris
January 7th, 2011
11:05 am
Luck has all the time in the world to get his degree in architectural design. Go to the #NFL.
http://schportz.wordpress.com
2010 SEC CHAMPS
January 7th, 2011
11:06 am
“Cam Newton = Tim Tebow = Vince Young = Tavarious Jackson”
That makes absolutely no sense.
RambleOn84
January 7th, 2011
11:06 am
I perceive you to have a sense of entitlement because you expect Schultz and Bradley should always be positive about your team regardless of how crappy they are.
And I made the UGA comment because I assumed by you saying Schultz was “just like a Tech homer” that you were referring to some idiot Tech fans who constantly say UGA fans should make their burgers as if an allegiance to one team over the other somehow affects your intelligence.
If that is not what you meant, then I apologize for inferring incorrectly.
2010 SEC CHAMPS
January 7th, 2011
11:07 am
Bryan G.
Are you really that stupid?
Not Disappointed
January 7th, 2011
11:07 am
I do like AJ Green, but he needs to put on some serious weight to be a number one Pick. How many games did he play in 36 games at UGA? I know he was suspended, but wasn’t he hurt the season before? He scared me as injury prone. The NFL Combines will settle the issue of Number 1; nevertheless the “Best of Luck to him!”
Ramblin Wreck!
Jeff Schultz
January 7th, 2011
11:07 am
RambleOn84 — Thanks for the perspective.
Football Guy
January 7th, 2011
11:09 am
Yaah right. When monkies fly out of your a…
RambleOn84
January 7th, 2011
11:09 am
I don’t think Green is necessarily underweight. Moss has the same body type and has done just fine.
It would obviously be good for him to add extra muscle, but not at the expense of speed or agility.
Jeff Schultz
January 7th, 2011
11:09 am
Skitty Fritty — Good question. Don’t know why A.J.’s waiting. No, there’s no advantage (or disadvantage) to it. Not sure that there’s any more information to get, really. No NFL/GM, official can tell him exactly where he’s going to go, just where he’s projected. Maybe he really does want to be sure. But he has until Jan. 15 (I think).
D A Double U G
January 7th, 2011
11:09 am
Your apology accepted RambleOn
I wonder how Wendy’s would like the stab Jeff took at me. Haven’t I seen a Wendy’s ad or two on ajc.com before?? I wonder if the higher-ups should know about this…….
Dirty Dawg
January 7th, 2011
11:10 am
I don’t know what erks me more, the, so-called, UGA fans that come on here to belittle and backstab ‘their’ school’s program (assuming they actually attended Georgia), or Schultz and Bradley and the like that seek every opportunity to ’stick-it’ to Richt and Georgia. What is it Schultsie did you pass out on some Georgia coed one time and awoke to find a present left on your chest? Do people like me that see you for what you are – I mean if Paul Johnson were to have two or three losing seasons in a row you guys would still be hailing him as some kind of effin genius, pi$$ you off?
Just when we need to have one of our ‘players’ show a little loyalty – like a Tebow or a Luck – and return for another, and final, year in order to accomplish something, even if it’s only to prove that this past year was a fluke, you invoke the ‘Mel Kiper’ crap about A.J. being in the top three or four, and now, possibly No 1. What does Kiper know anyway, other than a guy with a 60’s-style hair-cut and a smart-a$$ed attitude?
Give A.J. some credit. At least speculate that he might want to show that he really did, and does, care about some sort of legacy at Georgia, and come back to show just how good he really is…besides he could use the extra strength and conditioning (like put on some muscle) before he moves ‘to the next level’.
Jeff Schultz
January 7th, 2011
11:10 am
Chopper — Let me just add this: QBs generally go first overall. But when there’s no QB who’s expected go first overall, it’s wide open.
JB
January 7th, 2011
11:10 am
Good topic for hits, but Green WILL not be the number one pick. Talent, yes, but He really has untapped talent. He really was not highlighted at UGA due to injuries, poor coaching and his truobles with sitting out 4 games. You have AJ Green and don’t score a TD in a crappy bowl with a month to prepare? He’ll go in the first 10 picks, But number one, 70 mil after a hit and miss career at UGA. Don’t think so. He’ll be rich. Hope he saves and invest his money and won’t be broke at 32 after making 100 million dollars.
2010 SEC CHAMPS
January 7th, 2011
11:10 am
QB’s who were supposed to be big time in the NFL:
1: Andre Ware
2: Eric Zier
3: Eric Crouch
4: Matt Leinert
5: Carson Palmer
6: Matt Stafford
7: Jamarcus Russel
8: Heath Shuler
9: Vinny Testicles
10: Danny Weurful
My point in all of this is no one knows who will do well in the NFL.
2010 SEC CHAMPS
January 7th, 2011
11:11 am
Will AJ Green be as good as Desmond Howard was? LOL
Buckeye
January 7th, 2011
11:11 am
AJ’s not unlike Thompkins….both will be top draft picks, make millions, but both need to prepare their bodies for the next level.
Jeff Schultz
January 7th, 2011
11:11 am
RambleOn84 (on AJ) — I agree. I don’t consider him a bad character guy at all. The jersey thing was a mistake, but that’s all.
Sports Review
January 7th, 2011
11:11 am
[...] getting bad advice, hanging with the wrong crowd, a flake, a geek, thinks he is invincible . …AJ Green could be No. 1 overall pick in NFL draftAtlanta Journal Constitution [...]
Bremen Dawg
January 7th, 2011
11:13 am
If you watch the NFL any, you will see why AJ Green might just go number 1. You see recievers drop passes and get out jumped all the time and AJ just doesn’t hardly ever miss those. Watch him snag one out of the air, there is only a few in the NFL that can snag them that quick.
2010 SEC CHAMPS
January 7th, 2011
11:14 am
“The jersey thing was a mistake, but that’s all.”
So making money off of your own name is a mistake when UGA did it for free? Yeah, I know the rules but to me that who fiasco was ridiculous.