Former Georgia Bulldogs earn lots of recognition in the NFL and Baltimore Ravens linebacker Roquan Smith became the fifth Georgia player to be named to the top 100, placing at No. 40. Smith and the rest of the top 100 are ranked by their NFL peers.
Smith is one of the best active NFL players that played for the Georgia Bulldogs. Ever since he was drafted by the Chicago Bears with the eighth selection in the 2018 NFL draft, he’s been one of the best middle linebackers in the league.
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Through seven seasons, Smith totaled 1,005 tackles, 63 tackles for loss, and 21.5 sacks. Smith became the youngest player in NFL history to reach 1,000 career tackles during the 2024 season. He ranks third among all Georgia NFL players in tackles and 10th in tackles for loss. He has three Pro Bowl selections, two second-team All-Pro selections and three first-team All-Pro selections.
He’s played with confidence for all of his career, so much so that after the Bears traded Smith to the Ravens in 2022, Smith negotiated his own contract extension, and he ended up signing a five-year, $100 million extension, the richest contract of any linebacker in the league at that point.
In 2024, Smith was fifth in the league in combined tackles (154), earning four tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks on his way to his third first-team All-Pro and third Pro Bowl selection.
Before his time in the NFL, Smith was just as good at Georgia. From 2015-17, Smith earned 252 tackles, 21 tackles for loss, and 6.5 sacks. In 2017, his junior season, he finished 10th in Heisman voting and was named the 2017 SEC Defensive Player of the Year.
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Roquan Smith ranked No. 40 in NFL top 100
Georgia Bulldogs in the NFL 100 (more players still TBA)
No. 100: Los Angeles Chargers wide receiver Ladd McConkey
No. 89: Buffalo Bills running back James Cook
No. 59: Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford
No. 43: Philadelphia Eagles defensive tackle Jalen Carter
No. 40: Baltimore Ravens linebacker Roquan Smith
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This article originally appeared on UGA Wire: Former Georgia LB Roquan Smith ranked one of NFL’s best 100 players