The Kirby Discount: Georgia’s 2026 NFL draft class is expected to top $100M

ATHENS — In football recruiting, it’s known simply as the “Kirby Discount,” the concept that to beat Georgia for a player, you’ll have to pay significantly more than the Bulldogs are offering.

Kirby Smart’s player development has set the bar in college football, with the Bulldogs having an NCAA-high 46 players selected in NFL drafts in the name, image and likeness era (2022-current), including 13 first-round picks:

• 13 selected in 2025 draft

• 8 selected in 2024 draft

• 10 selected in 2023 draft

• 15 selected in 2022 (NFL record)

“We may not have the highest-paid players,” Smart recently said, “but we will have the players that get the most reps.”

Those practice reps against other elite players and the tempo of Smart’s practices have caught the eyes of NFL coaches and general managers.

“Have been to Georgia practices a lot, and have been around that program a lot, and it’s unlike anything else that I’ve seen live in terms of a college practice, in terms of just the intensity — (Nick) Saban at Alabama was very similar,” Detroit general manager Brad Holmes said after the Lions selected three UGA players in last year’s NFL draft.

“But just the intensity, the physicality, the detail, the tempo, the whole thing, the energy, I mean, it’s just — so when you can go through that kind of regimen and you practice like that, that they’re ready. But I think everything that Smart’s done with that program, I think everything speaks for itself.”

Georgia is projected by NFL.com to add another 10 NFL picks to Smart’s impressive resume this week, with offensive tackle Monroe Freeling expected to be the first UGA player off the draft board.

It’s a Georgia draft class that’s expected to cumulatively land contracts worth more than $100 million ($102,492,316 plus free-agent deals) if the Bulldogs are selected where projected by NFL.com.

The rookie pay scale calls for Freeling, projected to be selected No. 6 overall, to get a four-year contract worth $40,018,084.

NFL scouts and analysts couldn’t say enough about Freeling’s showing at the NFL combine in Indianapolis.

“Freeling’s athleticism, length and experience starting at both tackle spots push him into the top 10 overall selections,” NFL.com analyst Chad Reuter penned.

“He also played through an ankle injury last season.”

Freeling’s measurables (6-foot-7, 315 pounds, 34¾ arms) were as impressive as his testing (4.93-second 40-yard dash, 33.5-inch vertical).

Daylen Everette and Colbie Young also enjoyed strong NFL combine performances and enter the NFL draft — which takes place Thursday-Saturday in Pittsburgh — riding a wave of momentum.

Here’s a look at the value of each contract (four-year, including signing bonus) Georgia players will sign, per Spotrac’s 2026 projected rookie pay scale, if selected where NFL.com expects in the upcoming NFL draft:

First round

• No. 6 OT Monroe Freeling, Cleveland, $40,018,084

Second round

• No. 37 DT Christen Miller, N.Y. Giants, $12,400,348
• No. 44 LB CJ Allen, N.Y. Jets, $11,088,330
• No. 53 WR Zachariah Branch, Pittsburgh, $8,908,966

Third round

• No. 87 TE Oscar Delp, Miami, $6,747,150

Fourth round

• No. 107 CB Daylen Everette, Cleveland, $5,421,760

Fifth round

• No. 161 WR Dillon Bell, Pittsburgh, $4,705,547

Sixth round

• No. 216 OG Micah Morris, Pittsburgh, $4,440,874

Seventh round

• No. 224 P Brett Thorson, Pittsburgh, $4,400,465
• No. 247 WR Colbie Young, New England, $4,360,792