It’s officially draft season, a time when the professional and college football worlds collide, and we see our favorite collegiate playmakers make the transition to the big leagues. Now that the first pick will be selected in less than a month, it’s appropriate to start thinking about where the Dawgs are going to land — if you weren’t already, that is.

Georgia’s biggest name heading to the draft this year is 6-foot-3, 323-pound defensive lineman Jalen Carter. Carter was invaluable for Georgia when he was on the field, but it seems like NFL teams aren’t picking up that sentiment. After instilling fear in collegiate offensive linemen for three seasons straight, there’s since been a lot of buzz surrounding the young man and his off-field behavior. If you’re a Georgia homer, you’re definitely tired of hearing about it. But it’s that kind of stuff that has NFL teams pondering passing up on Carter on Draft Day.

Nazir Stackhouse, fellow d-lineman and starter for the entire 2022 season, admits he’s biased talking about his former teammate but said that if Carter is taken lower than projected because of off-field concerns, Carter will “prove them wrong” and show the world that “he’s him.”

Now that the Kirby Smart appraised “generational talent,” that is, Jalen Carter, will no longer play on Saturdays, it leaves ways for guys like Stackhouse to step up into his place. He said not having Carter on the team is “an eye-opener.” It forces “one-dimensional” guys to open up, learn more, and “maximize their value.”

“We’ve all been waiting for this opportunity,” Stackhouse said, discussing how the d-line was going to step up without Carter.

In terms of the teams that may end up taking Carter in the first round of the NFL Draft, Stackhouse believes it’s really between the Seattle Seahawks and Chicago Bears. He said it was the “talk of the town.” Now who’s to say what happens? We’ll just have to wait a month and see, but in the meantime, it looks like the Dawg’s defensive line is in good hands with Stackhouse and company.