Georgia Football: What to Watch For in Bulldogs' Spring Game

Georgia head coach Kirby Smart's first spring practice session is underway, with the annual G-Day spring game taking place on Saturday afternoon at 4 p.m. ET at Sanford Stadium in Athens, Georgia.

It will be one of the most intriguing spring games in the SEC in 2016.

The quarterback battle that's currently taking place between senior Greyson Lambert, junior Brice Ramsey and true freshman early-enrollee Jacob Eason will draw headlines, but Georgia also has questions to answer at wide receiver, along the offensive and defensive lines and at linebacker.

What should you keep an eye on this Saturday at G-Day?

It's Not What Eason Does, It's What He Tries

Darren Abate/Associated Press

Spring game stats—and stats from any spring scrimmage—are incredibly overblown. At different times and in different situations, coaches put their quarterbacks and defenses in the spots they need to properly judge questions that need to be answered. Sometimes that leads to quarterbacks blowing up, and other times it leads to quarterbacks looking like they just don't have it.

Whatever happens with Eason on Saturday, throw the stats out the window.

Judge Eason based on what the coaching staff asks him to do compared to Lambert and Ramsey, not how good he looks doing it.

Lambert doesn't have the arm strength of either of the other two primary competitors, and Ramsey's inability to connect on those deep passes prevented him from seeing the field on a consistent basis in 2015. Eason can push the ball sideline to sideline (as seen in the video above) and stretch it deep, and the coaches should test that on Saturday whether it's with the first-, second- or third-team offense. 

You know what you're getting with Lambert—he can manage a game. He managed Georgia to a 10-2 record as a starter last year, with former Bulldog Faton Bauta getting the start in the loss to Florida. If needed, Lambert can replicate that kind of success.

Ramsey wasn't able to beat him out last year and spent the latter part of the season as Georgia's primary punter. 

If Eason can show that he can handle some of the new things offensive coordinator Jim Chaney will ask him to do—specifically, stretching the field—that will go a long way toward taking pressure off Nick Chubb, Sony Michel and the Bulldog running game.

Will a Real Playmaker Please Stand Up?

Mark Wallheiser/Associated Press

If Eason—or any of the quarterbacks—want to stretch the field consistently, finding somebody on the back end to catch those balls downfield certainly would help.

Malcolm Mitchell had 865 receiving yards in 2015 but finished 14th in the SEC in yards per catch at 14.91. Now that he's gone, somebody has to not only step into that role but be even more of a threat.

Could Terry Godwin be that guy?

The sophomore capped off his freshman campaign with eight catches and 78 yards against Georgia Tech and four catches for 34 yards and a touchdown against Penn State. The 5'11", 174-pounder from Hogansville, Georgia, has been turning heads this spring, according to Jason Butt of the Macon Telegraph. 

Of course, others could help. 

Isaiah McKenzie is a slot weapon who is dangerous in space but needs to make sure he holds on to the football. True freshman Riley Ridley is loaded with talent and could see the field quickly in 2016. Reggie Davis is a burner who can get behind defenses but needs to hang on to the ball when his number is called.

Expect Georgia to take a few shots and see what happens. If the offense looks explosive—even if it's only on a few plays—that would qualify as huge news in the "Classic City."

What Will The Defensive Line Look Like?

John Bazemore/Associated Press

Georgia has a boatload of talent along the defensive line, but what it has in talent it lacks in experience.

Trent Thompson is a former 5-star prospect who saw time as a true freshman last year and could play either end or nose. The 6'4", 307-pounder has the size to take up space and the quickness of a cat, which makes him a vital piece of the puzzle for Smart and new defensive coordinator Mel Tucker. True freshman Julian Rochester, a 6'5", 327-pounder, had been repping with the ones for the majority of spring practice but has moved around as the Bulldogs have inched closer to G-Day.

John Atkins is a veteran who can play nose or end in the 3-4 scheme, and Jonathan Ledbetter will likely start at end after serving a one-game suspension in the opener. 

Tackle DaQuan Hawkins and end Michael Barnett have missed time this spring, which has forced Smart to be creative up front.

"With Barnett and Hawkins out, you can see the cupboard is getting bare on the D-line," he said, according to John Durham of the Red & Black. "It’s getting tougher and tougher for us out there. We got to do a good job recruiting that position. We got to get more size guys to help us."

Who will be those guys? How will Smart, Tucker and defensive line coach Tracy Rocker mix and match those pieces? Will they be able to replicate the success of last year's defense, which finished third in the conference in total defense last year at 305.9 yards per game?

If the big men up front can get consistent push, that will be tremendous news for a defense that needs an identity up front after some personnel losses from a year ago.

The Linebacker Conundrum

John Bazemore/Associated Press

Coaches always say that "depth chart isn't worth the paper that it's printed on."

That's fine, but seeing who trots out with the first-teamers at least gives fans and media a glimpse of what the rough draft of the actual depth chart looks like.

For Georgia's linebacking corps, that will be quite intriguing. 

The Bulldogs lost stud outside linebackers Leonard Floyd and Jordan Jenkins from last year's squad, as well as leading tackler and former UAB Blazer Jake Ganus inside.

Tim Kimbrough has seen a lot over his three seasons at Georgia, Reggie Carter has loads of talent when healthy and Natrez Patrick has the most upside of the competitors vying for work at inside linebacker. Lorenzo Carter looked like a superstar outside as a freshman in 2014 but suffered through a sophomore slump in 2015. Junior Davin Bellamy should be able to step in at "Jack" for Jenkins and become an instant star.

But Georgia's linebackers are long on potential and short on proven experience, which makes the depth chart fluid at best. Smart has made a point to call out some of his linebackers—including Patrick, Bellamy and Carter—as players who haven't stepped up off the field.

"I told Lorenzo (Carter), 'You gotta be a leader,"' Smart said after Saturday's scrimmage (10:00 mark). "'Dom (Sanders), you gotta be a leader. Davin Bellamy, you gotta be a leader. Natrez (Patrick), you're a sophomore, you gotta be a leader.' We don't have the leadership out there that we need. Everybody's looking at everybody else."

Who does Smart trust most? Will he send a message by dropping somebody down to the twos in front of the home fans on Saturday? Will leadership emerge under the brightest lights of spring?

These questions could be answered at G-Day.

Quotes were obtained firsthand, unless otherwise noted. Statistics are courtesy of CFBStats.com, unless otherwise noted, and recruiting information is courtesy of 247Sports.

Barrett Sallee is the lead SEC college football writer and national college football video analyst for Bleacher Report, as well as a host on Bleacher Report Radio on SiriusXM 83. Follow Barrett on Twitter @BarrettSallee.