Just a few minutes ago, Mel Kiper Jr. came on Sportscenter to talk about the upcoming NFL Draft. His first topic was concerning AJ Green's stock rising. AJ Green was already considered to be a top 10 or potential top 5 pick, so how much higher can his stock go? There is a real chance that AJ Green may be the second overall pick in this year's NFL draft.
And who owns the second overall pick in this year's draft? The Denver Broncos. Denver, who spent its first pick in the 2010 draft on Demaryius Thomas (before later taking Tebow), were not considering taking a wide receiver until the developments in recent weeks. Denver's third leading receiver in 2010, Eddie Royal, is coming off hip surgery and will most likely miss all of spring camp (if there is no lockout). Thomas, who missed a lot of his rookie season due to injury, tore his Achilles' tendon on Wednesday and will be out for 6 to 8 months. That means the Broncos will enter spring camp (once again, if there is a spring camp) with only Brandon Lloyd and JabarGaffney as the only receivers who caught at least 10 passes last year (Knowshon Moreno and CorrellBuckhalter had 37 and 28 receptions, respectively, from the running back position in 2010.)
If Denver is going to hand over the ship to Tim Tebow this fall, they are going to need a big receiver who can go get passes. AJ Green would certainly fit that role and he has already proven his ability to leap and catch passes in the thin air in Colorado: While it would be fun to see AJ and Knowshon in the same huddle again, I don't know how I feel about AJ catching passes from Tebow. It just seems wrong. In three years, Georgia will have the top quarterback, running back, and wide receiver taken in their respective years. Just makes you sad to realize what that 2008 team could have been.
From 2005 until 2009, the Georgia Bulldogs have seen 8 players forgo their remaining eligibility and enter the NFL draft. Here is a look at those who left early during the second half of Richt’s first decade in Athens.
2005
Leonard Pope – 3rd Round by Arizona – Pope left Georgia following the SEC Championship season and was drafted by a pass happy Arizona Cardinals team. And while receivers like Anquan Boldin and Larry Fitzgerald put up huge numbers catching passes, Pope never really took off. He has played the last 2 seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs. Verdict – Bad Decision – Pope’s size was amazing, but one more year in Athens could have really helped hone his skills. He has not lived up to the success that former Georgia tight ends Randy McMichael and Ben Watson had.
2006
Danny Ware – Undrafted – Ware bounced around before finally finding a home with the New York Giants. Ware has become an important special teams player for the Giants and earned a Super Bowl ring in 2008. Now going by DJ, Ware’s career has lasted longer than the backs he was behind at Georgia. Verdict – Good Decision – With Thomas Brown, Kregg Lumpkin, and Knowshon Moreno on the roster, Ware would have seen very few carries in 2007. He went undrafted, but has made a nice place for himself on the Giants.
Charles Johnson – 3rd Round by Carolina – Johnson has gradually earned more playing time for the Panthers and this year took over for the departed Julius Peppers at defensive end. His career is on an uptick, even if the Panthers are horrible. Verdict – Good Decision – Johnson was a beast and after watching teammate Quentin Moses struggle after returning for his senior season, Johnson leaving early was a no-brainer.
2008
Asher Allen – 3rd Round by Minnesota – Allen struggled to see the field much during his rookie season for the Vikings, but continued to improve. He earned a starting role this fall, totaling 57 tackles and 2 interceptions. Verdict – Bad Decision – Allen could have increased his draft status in 2009 by returning to school. He was good, but not great.
Knowshon Moreno – 1st Round (#12 overall) by Denver – Moreno has struggled with injuries for much of his first two seasons, but has managed to put up 1,100+ yards both years. In 2010, he solidified his role as Denver’s starting tailback and has also become a weapon catching passes. Verdict – Good Decision – He was the first back taken and has had two relatively successful seasons despite injuries. Coming back for an additional year would have done nothing but add wear and tear to his body.
Matthew Stafford – 1st Round (#1 overall) by Detroit – Going to a horrible Lions team, Stafford expected to get hit. He has been hit so much that he has failed to stay healthy, ending both of his first two seasons on IR. He has shown promise in the 13 games he has played in. Verdict – Good Decision – There is an argument that going to the NFL to get pummeled and constantly being injured was a bad decision. But Stafford most likely would not have been the #1 pick in 2009, meaning he would not have gotten the $40+ million from Detroit. Plus, he would not have done this:
2009
Rennie Curran – 3rd Round by Tennessee – Curran played sparingly during his rookie season, though his play time increased as the season progressed. Verdict – Good Decision – As Curran stated when he made his decision, he was not going to get any taller by staying another year in Athens. The only way he would earn a starting role in the NFL is by playing his way up the later. Starting as soon as possible was the right move for him.
Reshad Jones – 5th Round by Miami – Jones appeared in 13 of the Dolphins’ 16 games this fall, recording 21 tackles. His best game of the year came when he recorded both his first career sack and interception on November 20 against Tennessee. Verdict – Bad Decision – Jones had an amazing combination of both size and talent. He improved each year he was at Georgia and one more season could have improved his draft status significantly.
All told, there have been 16 players that have left Georgia early for the Draft during the Richt era. AJ Green’s decision is a no brainer, but hope players like Justin Houston and Brandon Boykin consider the past experiences of these Georgia pl
In 2006, running back Knowshon Moreno arrived in Athens after a record setting high school career in the state of New Jersey. And while his talents were clear to the Georgia coaching stuff, Coach Richt came to a tough decision when he decided to redshirt Moreno for the 2006 season. Georgia had three experienced running backs (Danny Ware, Kregg Lumpkin, and Thomas Brown) who were all juniors and since it looked as though carries would be tough to get. When Knowshon finally saw the field in 2007, he immediately showed flashes of the player the Georgia coaches has been talking about for a year while he sat out. It is a decision that Coach Richt still wishes he could reverse.
After all of the hype, Georgia fans were anxious to finally see Moreno take the field for the Dawgs. In the 35-14 season opening victory, showed his skills on this play:
The following week against South Carolina, Georgia fell 16-12 but Knowshon carried the ball 14 times for 104 yards, his first career 100 yard performance. After solid games against Western Carolina (including his first touchdown), Alabama, and Ole Miss, he racked up 157 yards rushing against Vanderbilt in his first start. With Thomas Brown and Kregg Lumpkin out with injury, Knowshon was lone scholarship back for Georgia as they headed to Jacksonville to take on the defending national champion Gators. Knowshon would have the second of 5 consecutive 100 yards performances, rushing for 188 yards and three touchdowns as the Dawgs “danced” their way to victory. After big games against Troy, Auburn, and Kentucky, Moreno was hampered with an ankle injury against Georgia Tech. He recovered for the Sugar Bowl victory over Hawaii, rushing for 61 yards and two touchdowns on only 9 carries. For the season, 1,334 yards and 14 touchdowns and added 253 yards on 20 catches receiving. Here is a look back at his highlights from the 2007 season:
After Georgia finished the 2007 season #2 in the national rankings, there were high expectations for Georgia in 2008. Knowshon and Matt Stafford led a high powered offense that was ranked #1 in the preseason. He scored 6 touchdowns on his first 26 carries of the 2008 season, including the most amazing play I have ever seen in person:
While Georgia failed to live up to the preseason expectations, Knowshon continued to play fantastic. Highlights included a 161 yard performance in the victory at LSU and 131 yard performance against Auburn that included his first career touchdown reception. He capped his redshirt sophomore season with a touchdown reception from Matt Stafford that helped seal Georgia’s victory over Michigan State in the Capital One Bowl. For the year, he rushed for 1,400 yards on 250 carries (5.6 yards per carry) and 16 touchdowns and also caught 33 passes for 392 yards and two scores. He was named to the All-SEC first team and an All-American by the AFCA Coaches.
A month after the Capital One Bowl, Knowshon Moreno (along with Matt Stafford) declared early for the NFL Draft, ending a brief but brilliant career. He holds the 5th and 6th highest single season rushing totals in Georgia history, fourth in total rushing yards (2,734) and fifth in rushing touchdowns. Many consider him the most talented offense player at Georgia since Herschel Walker. He was drafted in the first round of the 2009 NFL draft by the Denver Broncos and had a successful rookie season, rushing for over 900 yards and 7 touchdowns.
I tuned into the 49ers-Broncos preseason game to get a glimpse of Knowshon Moreno's first NFL action. He looked good on his first couple of carries and still had his run back to the huddle after getting tackled. But after throwing a block on the 3rd Kyle Orton interception of the night (it was only the 2nd quarter), he left with a leg injury. I guess he has found out the tough part of life in the NFL pretty quick. Earl also made me aware that Knowshon is appearing in a series of Reebok ads about life as a rookie at training camp and after seeing them I must say they are both pretty fun. Check out the videos below.
Number of the Central Michigan player who Knowshon Moreno hurdled at the end of a 29 yard run during the 2008 game against the Cheppewas. Moreno had 168 yards and 3 touchdowns on the day.
Career recptions for Knowshon Moreno at Georgia. While his contributions to the running game will be missed, so too will his contributions to the Georgia passing game.
Yards on the first touchdown drive for Georgia in a 27-10 victory over Arizona State in 2008. The drive was capped off by a leaping 9-yard touchdown run by Knowshon Moreno.
Knowshon Moreno won the Upper Deck NFL rookie touchdown dance contest. Check out the video below, which also features dance from Matthew Stafford and MohamedMassaquoi.
With his Georgia number 24 already worn by former Bulldog Champ Bailey, Knowshon Moreno will be switching numbers when he suits up for the Denver Broncos this fall. Moreno will wear #27, which was last worn by former Bronco Darrent Williams who was killed in a drive by shooting a few years ago. I think Knowshon will honor Williams with his play on the field this fall.
I wondered what it would look like to see Knowhon in a new uniform, and here is what I came up with. It just doesn't look right, does it?
Even though we all saw this coming, the Bulldawg Nation held its collective breath in the moments leading up to this afternoon's press conference, clinging to the last glimmer of hope that our co-offensive MVPs would return for another year of Bulldog football. Though we won't get our wish, we wish the best for these two guys. We'll be watching you on Sundays, boys.
