As the 2026 NFL Draft approaches on April 23, one Georgia player is flying under the radar.
In years past, it has been common for UGA players to be significantly undervalued as NFL prospects, especially pass catchers. This is because Georgia has never been a school that produces players with earth-shattering statistical production.
There are two main reasons for this. Under Kirby Smart, the Bulldogs have always had such an abundance of talent that production is spread thinner than the typical team that relies on a small group of players to carry the load. The other reason is UGA’s historical play style, as well as Kirby’s coaching style. The Georgia Bulldogs throughout history have been a run-dominant team, which obviously isn’t going to benefit pass-catcher stats. Even in recent seasons, when the Dawgs have aired it out a bit more, Kirby does not coach games to run up the score. Under Smart, the Dawgs look to control possession and bleed you out.
Georgia basically plays to take the lead and then run the clock out as quickly as possible…not a play style to benefit stats.
The Georgia way has often led to players’ stats not quite matching their talent level. Those guys go underrated, get drafted later than they should and are absolute studs in the NFL.
Take Ladd McConkey, for example. McConkey was still a relatively early draft pick, going No. 34 overall to the Chargers in 2024. At UGA, the former 3-star recruit had only 1,686 yards over three seasons in Athens. He’s already surpassed that in two seasons with Los Angeles: 1,149 yards as a rookie, 489 yards last season.
Ahead of this year’s NFL Draft, Oscar Delp may be the biggest of UGA players being undervalued.
After coming to Athens as the No. 1-ranked TE in the Class of 2022, according to 247Sports, Delp caught a total of 70 passes for 854 yards and nine touchdowns in four years at UGA. His highest yard total for a season was 284 in 2023. Definitely not numbers that jump off the page by any means. However, certain evaluators believe there’s more to Delp than the story the numbers tell.
NFL Draft analyst Jack Brentnall described Delp as ‘criminally underrated,’ writing:
“Georgia TE Oscar Delp is being criminally underrated. The production was modest, but he’s got a blend of athleticism and inline ability that very few can match in this class.”
The native of Cumming, Georgia, is currently ranked as the 11th-best TE and 141st overall prospect by CBS Sports in the 2026 NFL Draft.
Though statistical production wasn’t high, Oscar Delp is seen to have high potential due to elite blocking ability and athleticism with the ball in his hand.
He will be selected and have his chance to prove himself on the field every Sunday this fall.
