2022 NFL Draft Prospects to Watch: Arkansas vs. Georgia
#8 Arkansas at #2 Georgia 12 PM EST ESPN
Two top-10 SEC teams rife with 2022 NFL Draft prospects battle for conference supremacy and try to remain unbeaten.
Arkansas is the pleasant surprise of the college football season. They’re 4-0 with wins over Texas and Texas A&M who were both ranked in the top 15 when Arkansas beat them. This game figures to be a defensive struggle as both schools are ranked in the top 10 for yards allowed per game and points allowed per game. This article will feature four prospects and they’re respective matchups when Arkansas has the ball.
Arkansas C Ricky Stromberg vs. Georgia DT Jordan Davis
Both schools are solid in the trenches, and Georgia’s front 7 is one of the best in the country, and the key to their defensive success thus far. That starts in the middle with Jordan Davis.
Like Stromberg, Jordan Davis was named to the preseason All-SEC team, and this leviathan on the Georgia defensive line stands 6’6”, 340 pounds. Davis will line up anywhere from the guard’s outside shoulder (known as B gap) to directly over the center. He’s extremely difficult to block in the running game, to the point that most teams will run away from him. Despite being 6’6”, Davis plays with a low pad level, and this is one of the many characteristics he has that has intrigued 2022 NFL Draft evaluators.
Davis boasts equal parts brains and brawn as one of his best skills is diagnosing blocks and play concepts quickly. This gives him the opportunity to work toward and plug the gap that he knows the play is going to be run through. Athletically, Jordan Davis has superior quickness and frequently explodes out of his stance. Once the ball is snapped, he has surprising speed for a man his size, also showing the ability to move well laterally. Technique-wise, he’s solid as well, using his hands to engage linemen and dictate the action. Throw in his ability to hold his ground and Jordan Davis has the potential to be a first round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft.
Named to the Rimington Trophy watch list before the season, Arkansas center Ricky Stromberg will have his work cut out for him on Saturday. The 6’4” 310-pound junior from Tulsa, OK, has started games at both left and right guard for Arkansas in addition to playing center. He has good experience for a third-year player as Saturday will be his 25th career start for the Razorbacks.
When it comes to play-style, Stromberg is a physical and versatile blocker who has shown decent athletic ability and good pliability for someone who’s as big as he is. On film, Ricky Stromberg excelled at turning interior defensive linemen to one side or the other, opening a lane for his running back on inside runs.
The most interesting part of this matchup will be about angles. Stromberg is skilled at using angles to make successful blocks while Davis is great at shutting down those very same angles on his way to blowing up the play. Arkansas has the 8th-most rushing yards per game in the country at 262.2, and I’ll be curious to see which interior lineman will improve his 2022 NFL Draft stock on Saturday.