The draft is complete with the Gators having 8 players drafted, just one shy of a school record.
TE Kyle Pitts - Atlanta Falcons - First round, 4th Overall
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Kyle Pitts lead off for the Gators as expected going 4th overall to the Atlanta Falcons. Pitts now has the distinction of being the highest pick ever for a tight end, beating out Mike Ditka.
WR Kadarius Toney - New York Giants - First Round, 20th Overall
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Kadarius Toney used a breakout Senior season to catapult himself into the first round of the draft. Toney's skills with the ball in his hand will give him a chance to take short passes for long distances something every QB likes.
QB Kyle Trask - Tampa Bay Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Second Round, 64th pick Overall
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Kyle Trask patiently waited for his chance, playing back up through out all of his High School years and most of his college year. But when his number finally got called he made the most of it and produced one of the statistically best senior years of any Gator QB. Used to the backup roll, Kyle should be happy sitting behind Brady waiting again for the day his number is called.
DB Marco Wilson - Arizona Cardinals - Fourth round, 136th Pick Overall
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Marco Wilson along with the rest of the Gator secondary did not have a great year in 2020, but his upside and measurables made him a chance worth taking for a 4th round pick.
K Evan McPherson - Cincinnati Bengals - Fifth round, 149th Pick Overall
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Few pickers get drafted in the pros as there are only 32 spots and kickers tend to have very long careers. Even fewer leave early to take that chance. But McPherson did and ended up being the first kicker picked in the 2021 draft.
DB Shawn Davis - Indianapolis Colts - Fifth round, 165th pick Overall
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Shawn Davis had an excellent junior year but like the rest of the Gator secondary seemed to take a step backwards in 2020. Nonetheless, Shawn heard his name called and will get a chance at the next level with the Colts.
DT Tedarrell Slaton - Green Bay Packers - Fifth round, 173rd pick Overall
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In a year where NFL teams seemed more interested in offense than defense I was a bit surprised to see Slaton fall to the 5th round. At 6-foot-5, 340 pounds, Slaton is the kind of DT that demands double teams. Green Bay got a steal in my mind as you just can't teach size like that.
OT Stone Forsythe - Seattle Seahawks - Sixth round, 208th pick Overall
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Speaking of size, Stone Forsythe is a mountain of a man at 6-foot-9 and 312 pounds. He was very raw and slow when he joined the Gators but improved greatly in his years wearing the Orange and Blue. Stone cold be another steal if he can continue to improve his skills and mobility.
What This Draft Means For The Gators
Going into his 4th year as head coach at Florida, one of the knocks on Dan Mullen and the program was that he and the program were not putting kids into the NFL. Few top tier recruits are woo'ed by Top 10 Academic rankings, but showing that you can take low ranked players (Kyle Trask, 2* QB for example) and get them to the league has a tendency to get attention. Success breeds success and having two first rounders and 8 over all picks will be a strong selling point to recruits next recruiting season.
Noticeably Missing
Two players I thought would get drafted but didn't include WR Trevon Grimes and offensive lineman Brett Heggie. Grimes had a very good year and had it not been for the presense of Kyle Pitts, would have likely been Florida's go to WR. Heggie had a very good year too playing all three interior line positions at times without giving up a single sack. Both have since been picked up as free agents and will have a chance to try for a spot. But keeping a spot may be tough. I wish them both well and hope they make the most of their chances.
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