Published February 25, 2013 - 11:20am
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During the Urban Meyer era at Florida, the Gators pumped players in the NFL much like Alabama does now. And this season, several former Gators are looking to get drafted in Sharrif Floyd, Matt Elam, Jon Bostic, Mike Gillislee, Jelani Jenkins and Lerentee McCray, among others, and Floyd looks to be a top-10 lock.
Florida had 20 players picked over the last five years, headlined by their ridiculous 2010 draft class, which sent nine players to the NFL.
2012 (2)
- Jaye Howard, Seattle (4th round)
- Chris Rainey, Pittsburgh (5th round)
2011 (4)
- Mike Pouncey, Miami (1st round)
- Marcus Gilbert, Pittsburgh (2nd round)
- Ahmad Black, Tampa Bay (5th round)
- Maurice Hurt, Washington (7th round)
2010 (9)
- Joe Haden, Cleveland (1st round)
- Maurkice Pouncey, Pittsburgh (1st round)
- Tim Tebow, Denver (1st round)
- Jermaine Cunningham, New England (2nd round)
- Carlos Dunlap, Cincinnati (2nd round)
- Brandon Spikes, New England (2nd round)
- Major Wright, Chicago (3rd round)
- Aaron Hernandez, New England (4th round)
- Riley Cooper, Philadelphia (5th round)
2009 (3)
- Percy Harvin, Minnesota (1st round)
- Louis Murphy, Oakland (4th round)
- Cornelius Ingram, Philadelphia (5th round)
2008 (2)
- Derrick Harvey, Jacksonville (1st round)
- Andre Caldwell, Cincinnati (3rd round)
Best Pro: You could go a number of ways with the former Gators in the NFL, but the most electrifying Florida player to ever put on a jersey is one of the best players in the NFL in Percy Harvin. Maurkice Pouncey is a stud for Pittsburgh, along with Aaron Hernandez for New England, but when healthy, Harvin makes burners look slow. In four seasons, Harvin has 3,302 yards receiving with 20 touchdowns, and he’s rushed for 683 yards and four touchdowns. And if that’s not enough, he’s returned 114 kickoffs for 3,183 yards with five touchdowns, with 15 of his 114 returns going for 40 or more yards. You give me one player from Florida’s last five years, and I’ll take Percy Harvin every time.
Worst Pro: There are two who stand out for this unheralded award – Derrick Harvey and Tim Tebow. Both were first-round picks who haven’t lived up the hype. Many thought Tebow wasn’t a first-round pick, but the Broncos still took a shot in the dark at him. However, Derrick Harvey was a former No. 8 overall pick, and he was a complete bust. He received a five-year, $23.8 million contract with the Jaguars, and in return, Jacksonville got a player who rode the pine midway through the 2010 season. He totaled only eight sacks in three seasons with the Jaguars and last played for the Broncos in 2011.
Photo Credit: Brace Hemmelgarn-US PRESSWIRE
