The Red & Black is previewing each of Georgia's 14 prospects for the 2024 NFL Draft, which will be held April 25-27.
Former Georgia running back Kendall Milton arrived in Athens in 2020. After three years of waiting behind other players on the depth chart, Milton finally has a chance to shine as a starter in 2023.
Milton shared the backfield with Daijun Edwards last season and shared carries with the fellow senior. Although the beginning of his senior season was interrupted by injuries, Milton reached his peak in the final stages. He scored a touchdown in Georgia's last nine games and eclipsed the 100-yard mark in three of them.
Milton also saw playing time in both of Georgia's recent national championship appearances. He had 113 yards rushing in his SEC Championship win over LSU and ran for a touchdown in his college football playoff games against Ohio State and TCU.
During the 2022 season, Milton shared playing time with Kenny McIntosh. McIntosh was selected by the Seattle Seahawks in the seventh round of the 2023 NFL Draft.
McIntosh and Milton both ran the same 40-yard dash time at the NFL Combine, which was 4.62 seconds, near the bottom of the running back class in both years, but Milton's 10-yard split was 0.03 seconds faster than McIntosh. .
But Milton doesn't have the acumen that McIntosh displayed in college. Milton totaled only nine catches in both his junior and senior seasons. Milton hasn't been able to showcase his receiving skills at the collegiate level, but there is potential to improve that aspect of his game.
Another factor that could work against Milton during the draft process is his injury history. Milton has missed large stretches many times in his career due to health issues, including multiple lower-body injuries.
NFL teams are typically cautious about investing in players whose durability is uncertain — Darnell Washington and Nakobe Dean both fell below their expected draft rankings due to reported injury concerns — but this could hurt Milton as the draft approaches.
Still, Milton has a track record of success in college football's toughest conference. That, combined with his championship experience, could make him attractive to NFL teams.
NFL teams are increasingly looking for cost-effective options at the running back position. If a team believes Milton can offer something at a relatively low rookie salary, that could be his path to an NFL roster.
