Friday March 29th, 2024 1:03AM

Georgia’s Leonard Floyd gives SEC its first player taken In NFL draft

By UGA Sports Communications

CHICAGO — Georgia junior linebacker Leonard Floyd was selected in the NFL Draft’s opening round by the Chicago Bears with the ninth overall pick in the team’s downtown on Thursday night. 

Floyd became the first player from the Southeastern Conference taken in this year’s draft.  Seven players from the SEC were taken in the first round. 

Floyd, a native of Eastman, becomes the 31st Bulldog taken in the first round of the draft since the Detroit Lions selected Frank Sinkwich as the No. 1 pick in 1943.  Floyd is the 15th former Georgia player selected in the top 10.   

Including the Bears calling on Cornelius Washington in the sixth round of the 2013 draft, Floyd is the 18th Bulldog taken overall by Chicago since 1944.  Todd Gurley, the league’s 2015 Offensive Rookie of the Year, was taken 10th overall by the St. Louis (now L.A.) Rams from Georgia last year.  A total of five Bulldogs were drafted in 2015. 

Floyd is coming off a season that saw him finish second on Georgia’s defense with a career-high 74 tackles, including a team-high 4.5 sacks.  Starting all 13 games, the Butkus Award finalist also shared the team lead with 10.5 tackles for loss and had one fumble recovery that he took 96 yards for a touchdown at Tennessee. 

For his career, Floyd tallied 184 tackles, including 17 sacks (No. 11 in UGA history) and 28.5 tackles for loss (No. 9 in UGA history), five forced fumbles and three fumble recoveries. 

The second and third rounds of the NFL Draft will be held on Friday starting at 7 p.m.  Rounds four through seven will start at noon on Saturday.  ESPN will provide coverage of all rounds. 

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