Last year around this time, I wrote about how despite UF having just one draft pick in 2024, the Gators were set up to have a lot more.
I picked out 14 draft-eligible players I thought had a chance to be selected, intentionally casting a wide net with the proviso that certainly not all of them would hear their names called. Five of the seven Gators who got drafted were on the list — only Chimere Dike and Trikweze Bridges were missing, and I should’ve known better on Dike — and four more are still in school. Three of those four are still at UF, between Austin Barber, Jake Slaughter, and Devin Moore, with Justus Boone transferring out after not being the same following injury. Two others, transfers Joey Slackman and Asa Turner, were derailed by injury entirely.
Today I’m repeating the process, highlighting the maximum number of UF players I think could get drafted if they have a good season. Then, like a year ago, I’ll mention both draft-eligible and ineligible players who I think could get selected one day but not spring of 2026. The point is to count them all up to gauge how much talent there really is on the roster.
I’ll make comments as I see necessary. First, I’m doing the draft-eligible players who I think could be picked next year if they have a good showing in the fall.
QB: None
RB: Ja’Kobi Jackson
It’s an outside shot for Jackson, seeing as how Montrell Johnson didn’t get drafted last time around. One big thing he has going for him is that he almost never gets tackled for a loss. If he can start breaking off some longer runs like the one he had in the spring game, he might get his name called.
WR: Tre Wilson, J. Michael Sturdivant
If Wilson is healthy and has a big year, he just might go. He’s not a clone of Percy Harvin or Kadarius Toney, but he likewise has a distinctive way of moving that is amazing to watch when he’s at 100%. Given his injury history, he probably should go if he gets a good grade. But also, given NIL and the new House settlement revenue sharing, it’d have to be a very high grade to make it worth declaring. Keep that in mind as you peruse the list.
Sturdivant is like Elijhah Badger a year ago, a one-year rental with some nice tape despite playing with shaky quarterbacks. He could blossom catching passes from DJ Lagway like the Arizona State transfer of 2024. I put Badger on last year’s list and so I’m doing Sturdivant now, but it’s not a guarantee.
TE: None
OL: Jake Slaughter, Austin Barber
If center was more a glamour position, Slaughter would’ve had a big decision to make over the winter. As it is, both he and Barber are out of eligibility following this season. Barring a major health issue, both should make the draft with plenty of room to spare.
DL: Caleb Banks, Tyreak Sapp
I’ve already talked about how high I am on Banks, and both he and Sapp have appered as first rounders in one way-too-early mock draft or another. I gave a thought to George Gumbs, but I’m not sure he has the measurables to get into the draft. He’s listed as 6’4″ but looks smaller than that on the field.
ILB: Pup Howard
I really liked what I saw from Howard while he was available last year. This is another one like Wilson where NIL and House payments may keep him in Gainesville beyond this year, though.
CB: Devin Moore
Rarely have we seen a player get as hurt as much as he does who keeps coming back over and over without losing his ability. I really hope for his sake and everyone else’s that this is finally the year Moore makes it start to finish in one piece.
S: None
Safety, in which I’m including Star since those players practice with safeties more than corners, might just be the most volatile position on the roster. The starters have tons of experience but also aren’t imminent NFL material, while the true freshmen are very highly touted.
And as for star, the issue is whether one of Aaron Gates and Sharif Denson can take control from the other. If we’re still having asking that question now, I don’t think either is going to get a good enough ’26 Draft grade to declare early.
ST: Trey Smack
You can generally count on one hand the number of kickers drafted in a given year and still have a digit or three left over. However if Smack can improve his accuracy on clutch kicks, he has what it takes to be one of the chosen few.
There, that’s ten players with a chance to get drafted next year. It’s down a bit from last year’s 14, but I wasn’t as expansive in my criteria this year as last.
Maybe seeing the list of potential 2027 and later draft picks will illustrate for you.
QB: DJ Lagway
Enjoy him while you got him, folks.
RB: Jadan Baugh
UF has a deep running back stable, but I’m not going to put true freshman on this list unless they’re like Lagway last year or…
WR: Dallas Wilson
Wilson impressed enough back in April that I think its okay to put him here. I’m not saying Vernell Brown III or Naeshaun Montgomery or even the second-year guys are definitely not future selections, but it takes a special case to get on my list with little-to-no real game action to your name. Wilson has physical traits that no one else at the position has, which is why he gets to make the rundown.
TE: None
It’s still none, unless someone steps up in a big way. Maybe Amir Jackson will work his way onto next year’s list. We’ll see.
OL: Knijeah Harris
It’s hard to put anyone other than Harris on this part of the list because three of the five starters are fifth-year seniors and right tackle is going to be a new starter. I can’t say I’ve seen much in the way of future draft buzz for Harris, but he might be a three-year starter by the end of the 2026 season. If you can start three years in the SEC without getting benched or surpassed, you’re a potential future draft pick.
DL: LJ McCray
The fact that there is only one name here is an issue that probably means more portal shopping here next winter — only they can’t afford come up empty-handed again once Banks, Sapp, and Gumbs exhaust their eligibility after the season. Even having McCray is betting more on athleticism than production, though I will note that Jayden Woods got substantial effusive praise in the spring.
ILB: Myles Graham
I saw enough flashes from Graham last year that I’m ready to include him. Aaron Chiles is in the running, but I need to see more of him on defense (as opposed to special teams). I like Jaden Robinson as a college player, but I’m not sure he’s a future pro.
CB: None
Cormani McClain got a lot of buzz towards the end of spring, but he looked so lost so often last fall that I need to see the improvement on Saturdays.
S: None
The top backups at safety will likely be true freshmen, between Drake Stubbs and Lagonza Hayward. UF tried getting another safety depth piece in the spring portal but didn’t go for it like the house was on fire, which is saying something about both those young men. Still, as with McClain, I gotta see it on Saturdays. I do also have an eye on the two Star guys in Gates and Denson.
Okay, so that’s my list. I have ten potential imminent draft picks versus 14 a year ago, and six potential future ones compared to 13 a year ago. Does that mean Florida actually has less talent in 2025 than 2024?
In a word, no. UF has less proven depth in some places, especially on defense. However as I like to say: “unproven” doesn’t mean bad, it means they haven’t shown it yet.
I was also a bit more selective this year. I put more players than I probably should have on last year’s list to make a point that too many people were too down on the team’s talent level after only Ricky Pearsall was taken in the ’24 Draft.
The track record of top-40 players in the 247 Sports Composite getting drafted is strong, and Vernell Brown III and Ben Hanks III both rated as such. There could also be some offensive linemen beyond Harris who will hear their names called but who have just had to wait their turns a long time. Chiles, McClain, Gates, Woods, Stubbs, Hayward — there are plenty of young defenders to watch here.
UF is just in this place where there are some very good older players and very talented and promising young players with a lot of unknowns and good-but-not-greats in between. I think that’s a combination of the 2022 recruiting class being a transitional one, the high-end of the 2023 class falling apart down the stretch in tandem with the team on the field, and a relative lack of elite talent coming out of the portal.
Regardless of the reasons, the Gators don’t have another season with a single draft pick anywhere on the horizon. It’s going to be another campaign with future pros on every level of both sides of the ball.