RON SEIBEL: High or low, Georgia players await their draft calls

Between 8 p.m. on Thursday and the end of the day Saturday, 256 men will have their dreams of being selected by an NFL franchise fulfilled.

Several times during the three days of the draft, players from Georgia will hear their names called. That’s what happens when a team wins the SEC championship and appears in the College Football Playoff title game. Players who win on Saturdays one year get paid on Sundays the next. It’s only logical.

Two UGA players from this quadrant of the state almost certainly will be among those 256 men who hear their names called. Their situations leading into draft weekend, however, are quite different.

A few years ago, a week like this was only a dream for Roquan Smith. A two-way player from rural Macon County, just getting a spot on a college roster was a rocky road.

First, Smith had to get noticed. His high school coaches, including Larry Harold, now the head coach at Americus-Sumter High School, helped in that effort. Smith then had a national television signing ceremony that backfired: He picked UCLA, only to reverse course an hour later when he found out his position coach with the Bruins was headed to the NFL.

Eventually, Smith joined Kirby Smart’s Georgia program, where his career flourished. He emerged as a superstar linebacker on the collegiate level, missing just one tackle all of last season en route to winning multiple awards.

The decision to turn pro was a no-brainer for Smith, who is among the players the NFL invited to Dallas for the draft. He likely will go in a high-dollar slot in the first round, with the Raiders (now in Oakland, soon to move to Las Vegas) in the No. 10 slot a popular pick among those who do mock drafts.

The path to the draft for Westover product Trenton Thompson, however, has been rockier.

A defensive tackle who carried high expectations with him to Athens, Thompson has been hampered by injuries. Coming off an offseason full of rehab work, Thompson had just 38 tackles last season, with 3.5 tackles for loss and no sacks.

For Thompson, the decision to turn pro was a tricky one. Was it wiser to return to school, aim to have a bigger year in 2018 and attempt to raise his draft stock for 2019? Or was it wiser to go now, take what’s available in the draft and bring in some income in case the injuries get worse?

Mock drafts have Thompson going in the fourth or fifth round, meaning he likely will have to wait until Saturday to hear his name called. NFL.com gave him a prospect grade of 5.51, a mark that just falls into the category of “chance to become an NFL starter.”

Someone is going to give Thompson a chance, but he has a lot of work ahead of him. Nothing’s guaranteed, either in the draft or an extra year in school. Thompson took an educated guess, and he ran with it. That’s a difficult decision worthy of respect.

This draft is going to be a big one for those with ties to UGA. All that’s left is anticipation.

Contact sports editor Ron Seibel at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @ronseibel.