4 Georgia Bulldogs make SEC All-Decade team

NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos...

Pro Football Focus (PFF) released their version of the SEC’s All-Decade Team. With the Georgia Bulldogs among the best teams in the SEC over the past decade, PFF included four Georgia players on the list. The Bulldogs were well behind the Alabama Crimson Tide (10) for the most on the team, also tying with the LSU Tigers (four).

The Georgia players to make the team are tight end Brock Bowers, left tackle Andrew Thomas, and linebackers Nakobe Dean and Roquan Smith. Thomas and Smith were part of the Bulldogs team that made the national championship in 2018, while Dean and Bowers helped Georgia win national championships in 2021 (Dean and Bowers) and 2022 (just Bowers).

When discussing Bowers’ inclusion on the list, PFF’s Daire Carragher called it “the easiest selection on the entire list” due to his excellence and how much better he is than the rest of the field. Bowers, now with the Las Vegas Raiders, finished his collegiate career with 175 receptions for 2,538 yards and 31 touchdowns through three seasons.

Bowers earned a spot on the first-team All-SEC every year from 2021-23, became a second-team All-American in 2021, a first-team All-American in 2022, and a unanimous All-American in 2023. He’s also earned the John Mackey Award for the best tight end in the nation. As a reward, he was drafted No. 13 by the Las Vegas Raiders in the 2023 NFL draft.

Thomas, drafted No. 4 overall by the New York Giants in the 2020 NFL draft, was also a unanimous All-American in 2019 and a first-team All-American in 2018. He earned two first-team All-SEC selections in 2018 and 2019 as well. He was the second tackle alongside Alabama’s Jonah Williams.

Dean and Smith both have a lot in common. They both won the Butkus Award for being the best linebackers in college football. Dean won it in 2021, while Smith won it in 2017. Smith was also the SEC Defensive Player of the Year and a unanimous All-American in 2017, while Dean was a unanimous All-American in 2021, the same year he helped the Georgia Bulldogs win the 2022 national championship.

Smith made his name in run defense. He had 252 career tackles, including an SEC-leading 85 solo tackles in 2017. He also had 20.5 tackles for loss and 6.5 sacks in his career. He was the golden example of a green-dot linebacker at Georgia, and that continued in the NFL, where he earned three consecutive first-team All-Pro selections from 2022-24.

Dean was a relentless blitzer and was always prepared for the plays opposing offenses were running. He had 168 combined tackles, 13.5 tackles for loss, and 7.5 sacks. He was selected by the Philadelphia Eagles in the third round of the 2022 NFL draft, and he helped them win Super Bowl LIX, becoming one of a few Georgia Bulldogs to win a national championship and a Super Bowl.

There were some surprising omissions from the list. Georgia defensive tackle Jalen Carter didn’t make the list, falling behind Alabama’s Quinnen Williams and Mississippi State’s Jeffrey Simmons. None of the famed Georgia Bulldog running backs made it among Nick Chubb, D’Andre Swift and Sony Michel, with Alabama’s Najee Harris topping all of them too.

PFF’s SEC All-Decade Team (2016-25)

Offense

Quarterback

Joe Burrow, LSU

Running Back

Najee Harris, Alabama

Wide Receivers

Devonta Smith, Alabama

Malik Nabers, LSU

Jerry Jeudy, Alabama

Tight End

Brock Bowers, Georgia

Offensive Tackles:

Andrew Thomas, Georgia

Jonah Williams, Alabama

Interior Offensive Linemen:

Landon Dickerson, Alabama

Frank Ragnow, Arkansas

Braden Smith, Auburn

Defense

Edge Defenders

Will Anderson Jr., Alabama

Josh Hines-Allen, Kentucky

Interior Defensive Lineman

Quinnen Williams, Alabama

Jeffery Simmons, Mississippi State

Linebackers

Roquan Smith, Georgia

Nakobe Dean, Georgia

Cornerbacks

Patrick Surtain Jr., Alabama

Derek Stingley Jr., LSU

Minkah Fitzpatrick, Alabama

Safety

Grant Delpit, LSU

Xavier McKinney, Alabama

Follow UGA Wire on Instagram, Facebook, X (formerly Twitter) or Threads for more Georgia coverage!

This article originally appeared on UGA Wire: 4 Georgia Bulldogs make SEC All-Decade team

More at NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos