For every Georgia Bulldog who becomes an NFL star, there’s a cautionary tale. The latest one involves a former first-round pick and national champion whose professional career just hit a new low. The path from a national championship celebration in Athens to the professional cut list can be brutally short, a lesson one of Kirby Smart’s former stars just learned the hard way.

Former Bulldogs safety Lewis Cine’s professional journey has taken massive hits in recent years. The most recent setback comes from the UFL’s DC Defenders, who have decided to cut Cine during their offseason. The UFL Communications Department shared on X that the Defenders released Cine, along with Silas Dzansi, Elijah Ellis, and Jalen Virgil.

This decision marks another major setback for Cine, a national champion under Kirby Smart in 2021, whose professional career has declined in recent years due to a series of unfortunate injuries in the NFL.

Lewis Cine joined the Bulldogs as a part of the class of 2019 from Trinity Christian College. He showed his potential and became the starter for Kirby Smart’s side in 2020, recording 52 total tackles. But it was in the 2021 season that Cine actually showcased his quality. He played an instrumental role in Georgia’s national championship win that season, proving to be solid at the back and posting a career-high 73 total tackles.

In addition to the national title win, Cine also earned personal accolades. He was named First Team All-SEC, CFP National Championship Game Defensive MVP, and Third Team All-American by the Associated Press. So, naturally, professional teams started looking at him as the defensive piece they wanted in their roster, and he was eventually picked up by the Minnesota Vikings with the 32nd pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, further cementing Smart’s ability to produce NFL-level talent.

However, that move quickly went downhill when Cine suffered a compound fracture in his leg in a Week 4 game against the New Orleans Saints. That would prove to be the start of the doom clock for Cine’s professional career.

After undergoing a successful surgery, Cine returned to the team to make his mark. However, it was too late. The Vikings had moved on from Cine, as he spent two seasons with the team and recorded just one tackle in limited playing time. Although he showed some flashes in preseason games, the Vikings ultimately decided to cut him.

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What followed were brief stints with the Buffalo Bills, where he appeared in one game before spending time on the practice squad, and later with the Philadelphia Eagles. That move also failed to provide stability, as he was released despite earning a Super Bowl ring during his time in Philadelphia. He then signed with the DC Defenders to revive his career.

Now, following his release from the Defenders as well, Cine’s professional future appears bleak.

The GM who drafted Lewis Cine to the Vikings also fired

It seems like Cine’s possible career end came as a domino effect, as the GM who drafted him to the Vikings from Georgia has also been released by the team. After four seasons with the team, General Manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah was relieved of his duties. Reports suggested that his working relationship with head coach Kevin O’Connell had become strained. But owner Mark Wilf stated that the reason behind the firing wasn’t singular but a culmination.

“It’s not about any one decision or move,” Wilf said. “We looked at the situation cumulatively. We just didn’t feel confident going through the entirety of the offseason, another draft, and free agency with this structure. We have an urgency to create a winning football team and establish sustainable success for our fans. At the same time, we balance that urgency by approaching all decisions thoroughly and methodically. That’s what drives our decision-making and is at the core of our efforts.”

One of the main reasons the GM was fired was his failure to land draft picks. Over the last four seasons, the Vikings have consistently failed in promoting draft talent into first-team players. That is down to Adofo-Mensah’s scouting of the talent. Cine is just one example of where a first-round pick has gone to waste for a team looking to make its mark. It also didn’t help him that he let Sam Darnold go, and he’s set to represent Seattle in the Super Bowl this week.