College Football Championship 2022: Predictions for NFL Draft Prospects

Among the many reasons that Alabama and Georgia find themselves competing for the national championship once again in 2022 is the plethora of NFL talent populating both rosters.

Year in and year out, the two SEC powers are among the biggest pipelines of talent into the NFL. When the 2022 NFL draft rolls around, that will once again be true.

The latest big board from B/R's panel of draft experts features 13 prospects from either Georgia or Alabama in the top 100. Put another way, the two schools make up more than 10 percent of the list.

It's a staggering amount of talent that will be on the field Monday night. That doesn't even include quarterback Bryce Young who won the Heisman and won't be draft-eligible until 2023.

Many of the top prospects on both teams will make their living in the trenches. Alabama's hulking tackle Evan Neal and Georgia's interior duo of Jordan Davis and Devonte Wyatt will undoubtedly have huge impacts in the NFL.

However, we are focusing on the skill players who are trying to make one last impression on evaluators.

WR Jameson Williams, Alabama

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Once again, the wide receiver class figures to be deep in this draft class. The Bleacher Report big board features seven wide receivers in the top 32, so we could see many of them taken in the first round.

Among those pass-catchers is Jameson Williams, who comes in as the No. 12 overall prospect and third receiver behind USC's Drake London and Ohio State's Chris Olave. The truth is that there are at least five wideouts who are likely to be first-rounders, and how you order them is subjective.

What isn't is that Williams is as good a deep threat as you will find in college football.

This year, he has burned defenses for nine touchdown catches of more than 40 yards. He's averaged 20.1 yards per catch in his only season with Alabama after playing sparingly at Ohio State for two years.

Williams was instrumental in the Crimson Tide's win over Georgia in December's SEC Championship Game. He went for 184 yards on seven catches with two touchdowns as Alabama put up 41 points on the Bulldogs defense.

The receiver's speed is going to be difficult to deal with once again, but it's worth noting that Alabama will be without John Metchie III. The Tide's other prolific receiver was injured in the Georgia game, but not before chipping in six catches and 97 yards with a touchdown of his own.

Williams is still going to make plays, but without Metchie to draw some of the attention, the Bulldogs should be able to keep him from torching them.

Prediction: Five catches, 105 yards, one touchdown

WR George Pickens, Georgia

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From an NFL draft perspective, there isn't a prospect who would benefit more from a good night Monday than George Pickens.

Given the incredible depth of the receiver class, with Pickens missing most of the season because of a torn ACL, it's going to be crucial for him to put something on tape that makes him stand out from his contemporaries.

Pickens has been on the NFL radar since grabbing 49 passes for 727 yards and eight touchdowns as a freshman. This season, he was set to establish himself as an early pick.

However, the knee injury happened in spring camp, and it's impressive that he's even back on the field at all. Pickens returned to the lineup against Georgia Tech and had one catch for five yards.

In the two games since, he has just three catches for 50 yards. A bigger role for the 6'3", 200-pound Pickens is one of the few things that could give Georgia hope to reverse the result of the SEC Championship Game.

If not, Pickens may want to consider returning to Athens for his senior year.

Prediction: Three catches, 55 yards

The Running Backs

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Alabama and Georgia provide top-tier talent to the NFL all over the field, but it's especially true in the backfield.

Alabama boasts Derrick Henry, Najee Harris, Damien Harris, Josh Jacobs, Kenyan Drake and Mark Ingram II, among others. Georgia counters with Nick Chubb, D'Andre Swift and Sony Michel.

The Bulldogs might not quite stack up, but they do figure to have two more next year. James Cook and Zamir White will both be playing Sundays if the latter declares. Brian Robinson Jr. will carry on the tradition for the Tide.

The B/R Scouting Department sees the trio as near equals. White, Robinson and Cook respectively take up running back spots 10, 11 and 12 in their rankings.

It was a tough night for all three in the SEC Championship Game. Alabama's run defense is ranked second in the nation at 2.6 yards per carry, while Georgia is just behind them at 2.7. These backs are likely going to have to make a difference in the passing game Monday.

Predictions

White: 10 carries, 39 yards, one catch, 10 yards

Cook:  10 carries, 42 yards, five catches, 45 yards

Robinson: 18 carries, 60 yards, three catches, 15 yards