In 2016, Georgia’s depth chart was littered with first-year players.

Jacob Eason became the team’s starting quarterback. Brian Herrien and Riley Ridley grew into solid offensive contributors. And five freshman defenders broke into the rotation. Heck, even Kirby Smart was a first-year head coach.

While many of Georgia’s rookies struggled with the learning curve, tight end Isaac Nauta quickly began to play like an established veteran.

Nauta finished third on the team with 29 catches for 361 yards and three touchdowns, which was the best freshman season for a Georgia tight end since Orson Charles put up similar numbers in 2009. The Bulldogs have recruited some great players at the position over the years, but Nauta looks to be something special.

According to the 247Sports Composite Rankings, there have been only five 5-star tight end prospects in the past 10 recruiting classes. Two of those five signed with SEC teams: O.J. Howard with Alabama in 2013 and Nauta with Georgia last year.

The 6-foot-4, 246-pound Nauta earned the 5-star designation based on his NFL-ready size and versatile skill set. Nauta is the complete package, and he proved as much against SEC defenses last season.

His breakout performance came against Tennessee, when he caught five passes for 83 yards, including a 50-yard catch-and-run for his first career touchdown.

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Tennessee’s defense held up well against opposing tight ends last season, allowing 398 yards and four touchdowns on the year. Nauta, however, was the exception. His 83 yards were more than the Vols had allowed to tight ends in their first four games combined. In fact, Nauta accounted for over 20 percent of the yards that Tennessee allowed from the position all season.

Last fall, Nauta surpassed 40 receiving yards five times. In each of those games, he gained more yards than the opposing defense allowed to tight ends on average.

Nauta wasn’t immune to inconsistency, however. Interspersed with his bursts of production were games where he ended with single-digit receiving yards. Receivers are dependent on others, though, and Nauta’s poor outings may have had more to do with poor passes and variations in game plans than any personal deficiencies.

Although it doesn’t show up in a box score, blocking is a massive part of a tight end’s responsibilities. It’s also one of the reasons why young tight ends don’t often see the field; they need time to add size and improve against bigger and faster competition.

“In high school, I really thought that blocking was one of my strengths,” Nauta told The Red & Black in December. “When I got here, I found out pretty quickly how much better the competition is, especially in the SEC. That was something I really had to work on much more than I thought I would.”

Still, Smart trusted Nauta enough to make him a significant part of the offense. He responded by making plays and becoming a dependable option for Eason.

Nauta’s strong debut shouldn’t be surprising based on his lofty recruiting status, although it feels as though it has gone somewhat under the radar. Georgia fans surely know what Nauta is capable of, but he is a player who could become the SEC’s next star tight end.

With O.J. Howard and Evan Engram heading to the NFL, Nauta and South Carolina’s Hayden Hurst appear to be the class of the conference. It’s worth noting, then, that Nauta had a better freshman campaign than all three of those players.

As the players around him get better, they should make it easier for Nauta to succeed. While his freshman teammates were figuring out life in the SEC, Nauta was putting together a memorable debut.

Now, it’s time for the encore.