Kirby Smart makes bold claim about NFL teams and Georgia players as they prepare for their future

When Kirby Smart met with media on Monday he had some strong thoughts to share when it came to the Transfer Portal and how the NFL perceives the Georgia football program.

Based on how the last few years have gone it seemed at times that NFL general managers might be favoring Georgia players considering how many prospects the Bulldogs have been sending to the NFL Draft. That assumption was all but 100% confirmed by Kirby Smart on Monday.

“Every kid’s different. Every kid’s in a different spot. Like what age am I? How much am I playing? Will I get an opportunity somewhere else? What’s going on with my family? My family dynamic? I don’t think there’s a cookie cutter answer to that question...I wouldn’t delve into specifically each kid that I deal with. I think that’s relative to me and the kid...And you know, the transfer portal is an option for some guys to think about going somewhere else. And you know, it’s unfortunate because the feedback we get from the NFL is there’s nowhere they’d rather have players than here developing.”

It is unfortunate that so many players have to transfer to find their way to playing time (like Brock Vandagriff and Jamon Dumas-Johnson of Kentucky, Georgia's opponent this week), but each and every player's situation is truly unique. Kirby Smart made it clear that every young player has to seek out what's best for them, and if time is running out for them to play it may make sense to transfer.

However he also made it clear that when he talks to NFL general managers they want to see their players training at Georgia, practicing day in and day out against the best of the best.

"Countless [NFL general managers] have told me the kids that come out of your program are so much better off and developed for having stayed, even over playing, because of what kind of practice they get and who they get to go against [in] practice. They feel like their best evaluation is when they come to our practice and see guys go against each other."

Related: Georgia Football's future looks bright thanks to the development of Kirby Smart's next Carson Beck

Georgia has seen 33 of their players selected in the NFL Draft over the last three years alone, so it's not really surprising to hear this kind of statement from head coach Kirby Smart. When a team amasses, maintains, and develops talent like Georgia has over the last half decade (or more) it becomes clear. If players can simply stay at Georgia they're very likely better off than chasing after some lackluster opportunity and empty stats, as Smart went elaborated further.

"All you've got to do is talk to one NFL person and they’ll tell you that they’d much rather have quality over quantity. They’d much rather judge you on the plays you play. And they’d much rather you be training at Georgia than anywhere else...If you can prove to us you can play winning football you'll be on the field and you'll get an opportunity to put on tape what you can do. It's not about stats. They could care less about stats."

It's a bit much to say that NFL teams don't care about stats, as many analytics departments in the league do very much care about meaningful metrics. However, if you stay, earn your shot, and put up strong tape at Georgia you're pretty much set for some kind of NFL future at this point.

If future prospective Georgia players want an example of this they need not look further than current starting quarterback Carson Beck who is on pace to be a first round selection next spring after waiting his turn to start for three full seasons.

Related: Georgia QB Carson Beck leaps back on to Heisman Trophy pace as he demolishes Tennessee Tech

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And if you want to see the full press conference from Kirby Smart just check out the video below.