After sitting through the weekend without hearing their names be selected in the NFL Draft, former Georgia wide receiver Kearis Jackson and kicker Jack Podlesny signed undrafted free agent deals this morning, April 30th, to compete for a spot in the NFL.
Jackson and Podlesny watched 10 of their former teammates be drafted throughout the weekend and were hoping for the same to be said about them. Unfortunately, they did not hear their name called this past weekend. With Kenny McIntosh being the final Dawg taken off the board in the draft, Jackson and Podlesny turned to the UDFA period as another chance into the NFL.
The UDFA period begins as soon as the draft concludes, and this is when teams are allowed to contact players who entered their names into the draft, but were not selected in the seven rounds. Jackson was the first player announced by Georgia Football's Twitter page that he had signed a UDFA deal with the Tennessee Titans.
Jackson was with the Dawgs for five years before his departure for the draft, hauling in 78 receptions for 1,107 yards and four touchdowns. Not only was Jackson a key contributor in the WR room, but he was also a key contributor in the return game as well for the Dawgs. With Jackson's versatility in two of the three phases of the game, he will have a chance to find himself on the Titans 53-man roster come fall.
It was announced shortly after Jackson's signing that Podlesny had signed a UDFA deal with the Minnesota Vikings. Podlesny was Georgia's starting placekicker for the 2020 season and held that spot through this past 2022 season. Podlesny proved his strong leg, connecting on a career-long 53-yard field goal in the Peach Bowl win over Cincinnati, and also becoming Georgia's kicker for the kickoff unit, with 84 of his 109 kickoff attempts resulting in a fair catch or a touchback. Podlesny will have a chance to come in and compete with Greg Joseph II for the Vikings, who have historically struggled at that position.
With the signings of Jackson and Podlesny, that now makes 12 Georgia players from the 2022 class who will have a shot at the NFL, further proving why players should "Commit to the G."
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