Georgia Bulldogs defensive stars Nakobe Dean, Travon Walker, Lewis Cine declare for NFL draft

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The muscles in Georgia are of the Zamir White variety.

White pushes the ball into the end zone to give Georgia the lead. (0:20)

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Georgia will be without three of its defensive stars, including its top two tacklers, when it tries to defend its national championship in 2022.

Four people declared for the draft on Friday, including a junior defensive lineman and a junior safety.

Junior running back Zamir White and junior receiver George Pickens have also announced their intentions to enter the draft. James Cook is leaving with one season of eligibility remaining.

According to Todd McShay, Dean is the No. 8 overall player and the top linebacker in the draft in 2022. He was second on the team in tackles and sacks last season and also had two picks.

Walker is the 14th player in the draft. He had six sacks and 37 tackles, tying Dean for second on the team.

Cine, who is the fourth safety available in the draft, led the team with 73 tackles and had a team-high nine pass breakups. He was named defensive most valuable player of Georgia's 33-18 College Football Playoff National Championship game win over Alabama on Monday.

White, who overcame two knee injuries and health problems as a child, ran for a team-high 856 yards with 11 touchdown this past season. White, from North Carolina, is 15th in school history with 2,043 rushing yards, and he has led the team in rushing in each of the past two seasons.

White ran for 84 yards and scored in Georgia's victory against Alabama.

One of Georgia's most versatile players this past season was Cook, the younger brother of Dalvin Cook. He ran for 728 yards and had seven touchdown runs. Cook is the ninth running back available in the draft.

Georgia will bring back three running backs who ran at least 200 yards in the year 2022. The running back missed most of the season with a knee injury. The No. 2 running back in the country was signed by the Mississippi State.

The No. 7 wide receiver in the draft is Pickens, who has 90 catches for 1,347 yards and 14 touchdown in his career at Georgia. After missing the first four games of the season, he played in the final four. He had a reception in the national championship game.

Christopher Smith, the starting safety, will return next year.