After not having any Georgia players among the 13 prospects who attended the 2024 NFL Draft (tight end Brock Bowers went No. 13 overall to the Las Vegas Raiders, and offensive tackle Amarius Mims went No. 18 to the Cincinnati Bengals), two Bulldogs have been invited to Green Bay for next week’s 2025 NFL Draft. Defensive end Mykel Williams and safety Malaki Starks are among the 17 players set to attend. Georgia linebacker and 2024 Butkus Award Winner Jalon Walker, widely projected as a top-10 overall pick and a top-5 overall prospect in the draft, is not on the list.
Williams, ranked No. 22 in NFL Network draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah’s latest top 50 and on ESPN NFL Draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr’s big board, earned second-team All-SEC honors as voted on by the league’s coaches. He ended the 2024 season with 21 tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss, 5 sacks, 2 forced fumbles, and 2 pass break-ups. In three years at Georgia, Williams recorded 67 tackles, 21.5 tackles for loss, 14 sacks, 3 forced fumbles, and 1 fumble recovery. Williams will participate in a private workout alongside Walker on April 17. That will be on-field drills only.
“I feel like I’m trying to get that point across because I feel like that’s what I’m different from a lot of other people in this class,” Williams said. “I feel like I’ve got a different mentality about work and how I go about my work. The intensity that I do it at and the focus that I have while I’m doing it, that’s what I feel like is different.”
“Sources at Georgia speak very highly of his character,” Jeremiah said. “His intelligence and leadership ability have blown NFL teams away in meetings.”
“He is going to end up going in the first round,” Jeremiah said during the broadcast. “I have him as the second safety. Emmanwari, Starks, obviously different body types. But both outstanding players. When you talk about safeties, don’t underestimate the important of the communication aspect of it, the intelligence aspect of it. Starks, he can be the nerve center for your defense.”
Starks came in at No. 24 on Kiper’s list and No. 29 on Jeremiah’s latest ranking. He started in all 14 games for Georgia this season, making a team-leading 77 tackles, along with four tackles for loss, an interception, and four pass breakups, earning AFCA and FWWA All-America First Team and AP and Walter Camp All-America Second Team honors. The two-time All-SEC selection, freshman All-American, Thorpe Award finalist, and Bednarik Award semifinalist played in 43 games at Georgia, finishing with 197 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss, 6 interceptions, and 23 passes deflected.
2025 NFL Draft Attendees
Alabama IOL Tyler Booker
Alabama LB Jihaad Campbell
LSU OT Will Campbell
Penn State EDGE Abdul Carter
Ole Miss QB Jaxson Dart
Texas WR Matthew Golden
Michigan DT Mason Graham
Colorado CB/WR Travis Hunter
Boise State RB Ashton Jeanty
Michigan CB Will Johnson
Arizona WR Tetairoa McMillan
Alabama QB Jalen Milroe
Ohio State OT Josh Simmons
Georgia S Malaki Starks
Texas A&M EDGE Shemar Stewart
Miami QB Cam Ward
Georgia EDGE Mykel Williams
In 2023, one Georgia player, defensive tackle Jalen Carter, accepted an invitation from the league to attend the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft in Kansas City. In 2022, three Georgia players – defensive tackles Jordan Davis and Devonte Wyatt and linebacker Nakobe Dean were among the 21 prospects invited to attend the 2022 NFL Draft.
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