GAINESVILLE �Given the Gators� rich draft history, last year�s dismal showing in the NFL Draft was equal parts stunning and revealing.
GAINESVILLE � Given the Gators� rich draft history, last year�s dismal showing in the NFL Draft was equal parts stunning and revealing.
Florida had only two players taken: defensive tackle Jaye Howard in the fourth round; running back Chris Rainey in the fifth.
The same elite program that was the story of the draft only two years earlier � with three players going in the first round and nine overall � fell to irrelevant in 2012.
The Gators could have one player among the first three selected � defensive tackle Sharrif Floyd. Following Floyd, eight or nine more Gators could hear their names called in New York City.
Floyd might not be the only Gator taken in tonight�s first round. Safety Matt Elam�s stock has been rising over the past few weeks and some are projecting he�ll go late in the first round.
�Really, the only downside is his height, and there�s nothing you can do about that,� Mayock said of Elam. �The only downside with Elam as far as teams are concerned is there�s nothing they can do about 5-10, and occasionally you�re going to have to live with that. But on the positive side you get a kid that tackles, a kid that�s tough, a kid that cares.
�He�s a guy I think you�re going to like, the way he plays the game,� Kiper said. �I have him slotted to go either in the second or third round. He�s a nice football player. He really put together a heck of a year. He made some really good plays.
Two UF offensive players are expected to get drafted � tight end Jordan Reed and tailback Mike Gillislee, who rushed for 1,152 yards. Both project to go in the mid-rounds.
�(Gillislee) doesn�t have great top-end speed,� ESPN draft analyst Todd McShay said. �But with the lateral quickness that he has and the determination that he has and the competitiveness with which he runs, I just like him.