Patriots hosting a pair of National Champions for pre-draft visits

The Georgia Bulldogs have been, far and away, the most dominant team in college football over the last two years. They're 29-1 over the last two years with back-to-back National Championship wins.

That success has translated to producing pro players too. Last year Georgia had five players taken in the first round - the most of any school. They have five players projected to go in the first round of this year's draft - once again more than any other program.

On Thursday, the Patriots hosted two of those five projected first round picks for pre-draft visits. According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, both tackle Broderick Jones and edge rusher Nolan Smith were in Foxborough to speak with the team on Thursday.

For Jones, this is at least the second time he's spoken with Patriots representatives. He also had a meeting with them at the Combine.

Jones is one of two tackles considered to be in contention to be the first player at the position along with Ohio State's Paris Johnson Jr. - who the Patriots have also met with. Jones is considered to be the more low-floor, high-ceiling player of the two. He has good size for the position at 6-foot-5, 311 pounds, with standout athleticism. However, he's not as experienced or technically sound as Johnson.

Meanwhile, this is the first reported contact between Smith and the Patriots. Given the Patriots' recent history of drafting players that test well at the NFL Combine, it's not surprising to see them showing interest in Smith. He was one of the best performers in Indy at any position. At 6-foot-2, 238 pounds he ran a 4.39-second 40-yard dash and recorded at 41.5-inch vertical.

While Smith stands out as a pass rusher, he has the upside of being a three-down player at the position. The biggest knock NFL teams will have against him is his college production - he had just seven tackles for a loss and three sacks in eight games last year, and just 12.5 sacks in 38 career games at Georgia. However, this is a trend that goes back to some of the top Georgia defenders from last year's class - there was simply so much talent on the field, everybody was making plays so it was impossible for any one player to put up eye-popping numbers.

With Josh Uche and Anfernee Jennings both on expiring contracts, it would make sense for the Patriots to be looking to add an edge defender in this class. Enough of a need that they'd use their top draft pick on Smith? Probably not, but if he falls to the back end of the first round or early in the second, a trade up could be in the cards.

For a full list of the players the Patriots have met with so far, check out our Patriots Pre-Draft Meeting Tracker.

Alex Barth is a writer and digital producer for 985TheSportsHub.com. Any opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of 98.5 The Sports Hub, Beasley Media Group, or any subsidiaries. Thoughts? Comments? Questions? Looking for a podcast guest? Let him know on Twitter @RealAlexBarth or via email at abarth@985TheSportsHub.com.