The issue seems to percolate each spring, and gains more traction with the number of players Georgia has eligible for the upcoming NFL Draft.

Given Georgia’s thin draft class this year, the issue hasn’t been raised as much in past years, but that also means the Atlanta Falcons don’t have as much chance to squash the perception that they look past Georgia players.

Super Bowl rosters, for example, saw two former Georgia players, wide receiver Malcolm Mitchell and center David Andrews, playing for the New England Patriots, while Georgia only had defensive lineman Chris Mayes, who was on injured reserve. Last year, Leonard Floyd went No. 9 overall to the Bears, well before Atlanta picked, but third-rounder Jordan Jenkins to the Jets was a possibility to fill the Falcons’ need at linebacker.

Both sides have lavished praised on the other, and the Falcons previously opened its Flowery Branch facility for Georgia to practice during inclement weather days before Georgia’s indoor practice facility was available.

At issue is given Georgia’s consistent production of NFL prospects, why haven’t the Falcons drafted a Georgia player since linebacker Akeem Dent in 2011 in the third round? The only other Georgia player drafted by Atlanta since 2008, when general manager Thomas Dimitroff was hired, was running back Thomas Brown in his first draft.

By comparison, NFC South rival Tampa Bay has eight players from Florida colleges, including five from Florida State and two from Florida.

Dimitroff addressed the issue last year with the Athens Banner-Herald.

“We love coming here,” he said at a Pro Day workout. “We have a great relationship with the University of Georgia. It just seems like at certain times it just hasn’t fallen in our lap. We’ll always be here and we’ll always make sure that we focus. Again, we have great interactions and relationships with them. Hopefully one day soon we can pull off one that’s going to be a difference-maker for us.”

The drumbeat reached a crescendo in a perfect storm scenario in 2015 when Todd Gurley was set to become a high draft pick, and the Falcons were in need of a top-shelf running back.

Jan 1, 2017; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Rams running back Todd Gurley (30) in action against the Arizona Cardinals during the second quarter at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kelvin Kuo-USA TODAY Sports

Credit: Kelvin Kuo-USA TODAY Sports

Gurley was taken by the Rams at No. 10 overall after the Falcons chose pass rusher Vic Beasley from Clemson at No. 8. An older generation might remember another running back situation in 1990 when the Falcons took Washington State’s Steve Broussard over Georgia’s Rodney Hampton, who was taken four picks later by the Giants at No. 24 overall. Broussard had a nine-year career for the Falcons, Bengals and Seahawks, and rushed for 2,625 yards and 19 touchdowns. Hampton played eight seasons for the Giants, and rushed for 6,897 yards and 49 touchdowns.

The reality is the Falcons have had plenty of former Georgia players dating to the early 1980s with the likes of All-American defensive back Scott Woerner, tight end Troy Sadowski and defensive end Mitch Davis. In recent years, D.J. Shockley has joined Brown, Dent and tight end Martrez Milner.

What’s more, the Falcons have taken four Georgia players since 2006, which is more players than any other SEC program. They’ve taken two players each from four schools, and three players from LSU in that time period.

Like any good armchair or barstool debate, this one has strands of truth, but lacks the weight to fly very far.