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
Tweet
♦
Last 3 posts
– Mark Fox succeeding in changing basketball culture at Georgia
– Aaron gets wish: Steroid users kept out of Hall of Fame
– Richt’s plan for change is good, but why did it take so long?
♦
Follow me on Twitter @JeffSchultzAJC; friend me at Facebook.com/JeffSchultzAJC
Tell us what you think about the site
Customer Care »
Vacation stops, manage subscriptions and more
AJC Services
Sections
Other Editions
Visitor Agreement | Privacy Statement
© 2013 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
698 comments Add your comment
PHIL
January 7th, 2011
1:34 pm
Boca I would have agreed until I watched that pitiful performance Mallet had against Ohio State the other night. He had some drops but he had too many boneheaded decisions. For instance the blocked punt had the game won. Then he trows into the most basic zone blitz ever devised. If he can’t read that he is a long way from being ready to be an NFL QB.
2010 SEC CHAMPS
January 7th, 2011
1:35 pm
N.GA.DAWG
Those people you saw were future Tech Suicide Bombers. You’ll eventually see them on the news for blowing up a mosque.
2010 SEC CHAMPS
January 7th, 2011
1:36 pm
Buckeye
You are the first Buckeye fan I’ve ever chatted with who pulls for the Falcons. I’d have figured you to be either a Browns, Bengals or Bears fan.
UGA owns you tasty bees..
January 7th, 2011
1:36 pm
lol @ 2010 SEC CHAMPS. Its amazing that any of them ever make it to bomb-making 101, Advanced Fuses, and even graduation, given the mortality rate of students at techs campus. Who kills more each year, atlanta thugs and gang members, or Iranian terrorists? Both seem to sport that old mustard yellow color, and smell bad.
jakedsnake
January 7th, 2011
1:37 pm
Those crafty Panthers. They plan to draft AJ this year and Andrew Luck next year when they go 0h for 2011.
JSS
January 7th, 2011
1:38 pm
Paul in RDU
January 7th, 2011
1:22 pm
“JSS – Don’t forget the greatest WR in NFL history was from Mississippi Valley State, and the greatest RB (in my opinion) was from Jackson State”
Most of these folks don’t consider HBCUs real football… “It’s High School!”
Sayers could only dream on blocking as well Walter Payton. Sayers, Simpson, and Sanders were the greatest open field backs. but combination of all things, its Brown and Payton…
Boca Baby
January 7th, 2011
1:39 pm
PHIL: I do believe that Mallet had at least eight balls dropped in the Sugar Bowl game (one of them for a TD). If those balls had been caught Arkansas would have beaten Ohio State going away–in spite of the doings of the Buckeye Infamous Five.
2010 SEC CHAMPS
January 7th, 2011
1:40 pm
UGA owns you tasty bees..
I’m not sure about the murder statistics but I do know that there have been some Tech grads arrested for some sort of connection to Muslim terrorist organizations. A lot of Middle Easterns attend Tech for the specific purpose of orchestrating nuclear material/facilities.
GTBob
January 7th, 2011
1:40 pm
@Boca Baby,
There are some who question Mallet’s character and have issues with how he performs in big games. He has choked several times. He has all the tools of an NFL QB he just has to convince NFL scouts that he has the head for it also. He could fall out of the top 10 and be the 3rd QB taken. He has a lot to prove in workouts and the combine. Either way, you don’t risk a #1 pick on him.
2010 SEC CHAMPS
January 7th, 2011
1:41 pm
UGA owns you tasty bees..
Here’s an example.
Ex-Georgia Tech student convicted on terrorism charge
A federal judge found former Georgia Tech student Syed Haris Ahmed guilty Wednesday of conspiring to provide material support to terrorism in the United States and abroad.
http://articles.cnn.com/2009-06-10/justice/georgia.terror.trial_1_solitary-confinement-jury-trial-georgia-tech-student?_s=PM:CRIME
Paul in RDU
January 7th, 2011
1:42 pm
GTBob
January 7th, 2011
1:29 pm
just a fan, some teams in my conference I would like to see lose, some I would like to see win, some I don’t care if they win or lose.
________________________________________________________________
Me too – and it differs between football and basketball.
When it comes to basketball I am an ABCD’er
bwell
January 7th, 2011
1:42 pm
Hey stop with all the madness, I pray that AJ comes back, why would he want to go to the panthers, they suck and any smart WR would not want to go with a team without a QB, its crazy, Luck knew exactly what he was doing, and AJ need to follow suit
bamaguy
January 7th, 2011
1:43 pm
Luck in staying for his senior season for a simple reason that I hate to admit. But his decision is financial as well. A degree from Stanford, over your lifetime, is more valuable than an NFL contract. That can’t be said of any SEC school, not even Vanderbilt.
RambleOn84
January 7th, 2011
1:43 pm
Pardon me dawgfan,
I was under the impression that we were talking about THIS year…
THIS year ACC runner-up beat the SEC runner-up on a neutral field.
THIS year 7-5 UNC beat 6-6 Tennessee in what was basically a home game for Tennessee.
THIS year ACC last place team Wake Forest destroyed SEC last place team Vandy in Nashville.
The UGA/GT game was very close in Athens where both teams were 6-6.
My point remains: the SEC has great teams at the top, which the ACC obviously doesn’t have. But everywhere else, the two conferences are pretty even.
2010 SEC CHAMPS
January 7th, 2011
1:44 pm
“That can’t be said of any SEC school, not even Vanderbilt.”
Depends on what kind of degree you get. If a football player is pre-med at Vandy………….
UGA owns you tasty bees..
January 7th, 2011
1:44 pm
The surrounding neighborhood around tech’s campus sports the 9th most dangerous crime rate in USA. I don’t have the link , but its very easy info to find. 1 out of 9 who live in that area for a year or longer become a VICTIM of VIOLENT CRIME. Sounds familiar to another 1 and 9 statistic that techies love..
RambleOn84
January 7th, 2011
1:45 pm
And do we really want to bring up police reports in this discussion?
Last I checked UGA had 12 arrests just on the football team and a deranged professor who went on a murder spree.
But yes, keep on bringing up the actions of a single former Tech student (not a graduate by the way) who was unaffiliated with the football program.
Paul in RDU
January 7th, 2011
1:45 pm
JSS
Walter also invented the Wildcat QB
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eSdMqnmj5T8
Sports Review
January 7th, 2011
1:45 pm
[...] AJ Green could be No. 1 overall pick in NFL draftAtlanta Journal Constitution (blog)Why Luck Dodged NFL Draft To Stay at StanfordForbes (blog)BetUs.com -SB Nation St. Louis -The Big Leadall 1,372 news articles » [...]
Buckeye
January 7th, 2011
1:46 pm
2010,
I am a damn yankee. Came to ATL in the mid 80’s and never left. Was a Browns fan growing up in Columbus. Bengals, not so much.
Been a Falcon fan since moving to town. Rooted for Jeff George, Miller, June Jones, Glanville, Deion and the rest. It’s great to have a stable organization, first class coach and, for the most part, character players.
Let’s hope for a good run.
P.S. Michael Jenkins – Buckeye! Made perhaps the biggest play in Buckeye history with a 40 yard touchdown pass on a 4th and 9 against Purdue during the most recent National Championship. Good to see him having a solid year. He’s money with the medium out routes on 3rd and long.
2010 SEC CHAMPS
January 7th, 2011
1:46 pm
“THIS year ACC runner-up beat the SEC runner-up on a neutral field.”
Arkansas lost to O State. O State is not an ACC team.
“THIS year 7-5 UNC beat 6-6 Tennessee”
That’s like saying UNC beat Ole Miss.
“THIS year ACC last place team Wake Forest destroyed SEC last place team Vandy in Nashville.”
WOW WHAT AN ACCOMPLISHMENT!!!!!!!
“The UGA/GT game was very close in Athens where both teams were 6-6.”
Who won? LOL
“But everywhere else, the two conferences are pretty even.”
Whatever helps you sleep at night.
RambleOn84
January 7th, 2011
1:47 pm
Yes, there are dangerous areas in Atlanta. That comes with the territory of living in a large city.
On the other hand, there are many advantages of living in a big city, like the aquarium, pro sports teams, the zoo, fine dining, great shopping, and other attractions.
Athens has project housing of its own, but there are also great attractions in Athens like…
Umm…
…
…
…
…
2010 SEC CHAMPS
January 7th, 2011
1:47 pm
Buckeye
I always feel sorry for Detroit and Cleveland fans. Nothing worse in all of sports than to pull for those two teams. Woof.
Anyway, O State has put out some fantastic athletes.
2010 SEC CHAMPS
January 7th, 2011
1:48 pm
Buckeye
Who’s your baseball team?
RambleOn84
January 7th, 2011
1:48 pm
Deflection and excuses…pathetic.
Enjoy the impending probation.
JSS
January 7th, 2011
1:49 pm
“Depends on what kind of degree you get. If a football player is pre-med at Vandy”
With the cost of malpractice insurance and student loans, a Doc is in their mid 40’s before they see a profit now a days… Ask my ex girlfriend with a OB/Gyn practice in St. Louis…
2010 SEC CHAMPS
January 7th, 2011
1:49 pm
“Athens has project housing of its own, but there are also great attractions in Athens like…”
1: Hot women (something GT has never ever ever ever ever ever had).
2: Great bars.
3: Less crime.
4: Less terrorists.
5: Hot women.
2010 SEC CHAMPS
January 7th, 2011
1:50 pm
JSS
My wife is in the medical field. Trust me, I know all about it and I know doctors who have quit practicing because of high cost of malpractice insurance.
RambleOn84
January 7th, 2011
1:50 pm
Still trying to remember all those wonderful sights to see in Athens…
I guess while I’m trying to remember, I’ll list some of the great attractions in Auburn…
…
…
…
Well, there are some really nice pastures, I suppose.
Buckeye
January 7th, 2011
1:50 pm
Don’t tell anyone but I do root for Stafford. Hope he can stay healthy. As far as the Browns, also rooting for Colt to be the man. Time will tell.
2010 SEC CHAMPS
January 7th, 2011
1:51 pm
“Deflection and excuses…pathetic.”
Hey, what was GT’s record this year? LOL
A.J. Green
January 7th, 2011
1:51 pm
Since I beez going to da NFL all my equipkment will bee fo sell on eBay. I beez selling my game undaware, my jock strappk, my mouff peece, my helmitt, my gluves dat I used to drop passes, my shoos, and my socks. I dunn sold my jerzee alreedy. I beez axing $5,000 for da whole pile or I beez willin to take da bestest offa.
2010 SEC CHAMPS
January 7th, 2011
1:52 pm
“I guess while I’m trying to remember, I’ll list some of the great attractions in Auburn…”
1: Hot women (something GT has never ever ever ever ever had)
2: Nice people.
3: Low crime.
4: Low cost of living.
5: No terrorists.
RambleOn84
January 7th, 2011
1:52 pm
Yeah, you’re right…there are no hot women in Atlanta. None at all. No bars either.
But…but Athens has great Dave Matthews cover bands and lots of hairy-armpit Widespread-loving skanks!
And great bars…all 3 of them.
And psychopathic professors with weapons!
Buckeye
January 7th, 2011
1:52 pm
The Big Red Machine as a kid. The Braves since their run from worst to first. Like most Atlantans, got spoiled with their run. I paid a bit more attention this year realizing I could only name two starters!
2010 SEC CHAMPS
January 7th, 2011
1:53 pm
“Well, there are some really nice pastures, I suppose.”
Yeah, that tends to happen when you have a Vet school. Do you hate animals or something?
RambleOn84
January 7th, 2011
1:54 pm
Yep, no hot women live in Atlanta…none. And no bars either.
We just can’t compare with those used-up Widespread-loving hippie girls in Athens or all those great bars…all 3 of them.
2010 SEC CHAMPS
January 7th, 2011
1:54 pm
Buckeye
I think you and I have more in common than I first thought. I loved the Reds years ago before Nazi lady owned them. Also, I’ve been a die hard Braves fans since Chief Knock-a-homa fell over drunk on the field after the 7th inning stretch on Po Folks book bag night.
RambleOn84
January 7th, 2011
1:55 pm
Haha, nice people and low cost of living?!
Those are the attractions of Auburn?!?!?!?!
Yeah, it sounds like a lot of fun living in that 2nd-rate Mayberry!
2010 SEC CHAMPS
January 7th, 2011
1:55 pm
“Yep, no hot women live in Atlanta…none. And no bars either.”
We were talking about GT, not Atlanta, Boob.
“We just can’t compare with those used-up Widespread-loving hippie girls in Athens or all those great bars…all 3 of them.”
Beats bowing down to allah three times a day in the Tech dorm rooms.
2010 SEC CHAMPS
January 7th, 2011
1:56 pm
“Those are the attractions of Auburn?!?!?!?!”
Yeah, it means you’re 99.999999% less likely to get shot and you can own a large house.
“Yeah, it sounds like a lot of fun living in that 2nd-rate Mayberry!’
I’d take Mayberry over Mecca any day, Boob.
RambleOn84
January 7th, 2011
1:56 pm
I always find it hilarious when people who went to school in Athens go on and on about how great of a town Athens is.
They brag about those 3 bars endlessly…kinda like how kidnapping victims always talk about how nice their captor was.
2010 SEC CHAMPS
January 7th, 2011
1:57 pm
“I always find it hilarious when people who went to school in Athens go on and on about how great of a town Athens is.”
I always laugh when UGA grads go home with hot women and Tech grads go home with their left hand.
bamaguy
January 7th, 2011
1:58 pm
Ramble on: There are a lot of hot guys in Midtown
2010 SEC CHAMPS
January 7th, 2011
1:58 pm
“kinda like how kidnapping victims always talk about how nice their captor was.”
You’d know all about that, Ahmed.
2010 SEC CHAMPS
January 7th, 2011
1:58 pm
“Ramble on: There are a lot of hot guys in Midtown”
LOLOL!!!!!!!!!!
RambleOn84
January 7th, 2011
1:59 pm
See, there’s the logic. When you’re talking about Auburn or UGA, it’s the entire city.
But if you’re discussing Tech, ONLY the Tech campus counts.
Newsflash: the kids at Tech are visiting Buckhead and other nice places in Atlanta in a regular basis, not just sitting in their dorm rooms listening to Widespread Panic or watching Dave Matthews cover bands perform at some hole in the wall.
DawginLex
January 7th, 2011
2:00 pm
Ramble on84,
you can call SC the SEc runnerup if you want to but you and everyone else knows that the pecking order in the SEC was:
Auburn
Alabama
Arkansas
LSU
SC
Now, put FSU up against the true 2nd best team in the SEC-Bama.
Put North Carolina up against LSU, who they already lost to.
Kinda throws that “2-0 vs the SEC” out the window doesn’t it?
My $.02
just a fan
January 7th, 2011
2:00 pm
If we only had tort reform
RambleOn84
January 7th, 2011
2:01 pm
I married a UGA woman, and all she talks about is the obsession the UGA guys had with Dave Matthews and short shorts (wearing them, not admiring girls in them).