Florida Makes Major Announcement After 2025 NFL Draft
The Florida Gators had seven players selected in the 2025 NFL Draft, but the program also reached a bigger milestone.
Florida is one of three college football programs that have had a player taken in every year since the modern NFL Draft era began in 1996.
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The first former Gator selected was receiver Chimere Dike in the fourth round by the Tennessee Titans.
Defensive lineman Cam Jackson (Carolina Panthers), cornerback Jason Marshall Jr. (Miami Dolphins), linebacker Shemar James (Dallas Cowboys), quarterback Graham Mertz (Houston Texans), punter Jeremy Crenshaw (Denver Broncos) and cornerback Trikweze Bridges (Los Angeles Rams) were also selected.
Florida head coach Billy Napier.© Brett Patzke-Imagn Images
The Gators had plenty of players go undrafted as well.
Receiver Elijhah Badger, linebacker RJ Moten, defensive lineman Joey Slackman, athlete Ja'Markis Weston, offensive lineman Brandon Crenshaw-Dickson, defensive lineman Desmond Watson and running back Montrell Johnson Jr. went undrafted over the weekend.
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Florida enters its fourth season under head coach Billy Napier in 2025. Napier just secured his first winning season and bowl win since taking the job in 2022. He led the Gators to a 33-8 win over Tulane in the Gasparilla Bowl to finish the year at 8-5.
In 2022, he took Florida to a bowl game, but lost to the Oregon State Beavers to finish with a 6-7 record. The 2023 season saw Florida miss a bowl game after ending the regular season at 5-7.
The Gators are showing promise ahead of the 2025 season, returning talent like quarterback DJ Lagway, center Jake Slaughter and safety Jordan Castell.
The team also added talent from the portal with receiver J. Michael Sturdivant (UCLA), Tommy Doman (Michigan), edge rusher Kofi Asare (UMass), safety Michael Caraway Jr. (Southern Miss), defensive lineman Brendan Bett (Baylor) and quarterback Harrison Bailey (Louisville).
Related: Florida Making Rival Transfer Portal Target a 'Top Priority'
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