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NFL draft pool not filled with Florida Gators. That’s a problem

UF's top NFL draft prospect is first-round hopeful Taven Bryan.
 
Published March 27, 2018

GAINESVILLE — When NFL scouts gather at Florida's indoor practice facility for Wednesday's pro day, they won't be drooling over an unquestioned first-round talent, like Florida State safety Derwin James.

They won't be evaluating a deep pool of prospects, either, like the ones Georgia and Miami boast.

Instead, they'll see a draft crop that's underwhelming by Gators standards and another impossible-to-ignore indication of how far the program has fallen.

RELATED: Is USF poised for its best draft weekend ever?

UF's top prospect is defensive tackle Taven Bryan, whom NFL Network analyst Mike Mayock calls a "borderline first-round pick." If Bryan slides into the second round, UF will be without a first-round pick for only the fifth time in the last 22 years (and first time since 2012).

The Gators have a handful of other potential draft picks, led by talented but troubled receiver Antonio Callaway and defensive back Duke Dawson. But Bryan could be the only Gator chosen in the first four rounds – something that's only happened to UF twice in the last quarter century.

RELATED: Mike Mayock: Gators' Antonio Callaway a third-day NFL draft pick

The dearth of NFL talent isn't a surprise to anyone who watched the Gators' 4-7 season, or who paid attention to the scouting combine. In-state rivals FSU and Miami each had nine players invited to Indianapolis. Georgia had 10. Alabama had 14.

UF had six, including punter Johnny Townsend and kicker Eddy Pineiro. Exclude those specialists, and UCF had as many invites as the Gators. When a top-tier program's talent level resembles the self-proclaimed national champions more than the teams that actually played for last year's title, that's a problem.

It's also another indictment of the Jim McElwain era. UF signed 41 blue-chip recruits in the three years before his arrival. In his three recruiting classes, McElwain signed 24 (including four in the 2015).

So this mediocre draft class isn't first-year coach Dan Mullen's fault. But it is his job to fix it.

"I'd love to get as many guys drafted as possible," Mullen said. "I'm all in."

Of course he is. Putting players into the league is one of the most important selling points for prized recruits who become the next wave of NFL talent. That's why Mullen name-dropped former players like Super Bowl champion Fletcher Cox on his winter speaking tour, and why Texas A&M infamously publicized all the NFL defensive backs Jimbo Fisher produced (even though none of them went to A&M).

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Although Mullen won't have much to promote this year, he might in 2019. Three pro prospects — offensive lineman Martez Ivey, defensive lineman Cece Jefferson and running back Jordan Scarlett — all turned down the draft to return to UF, giving Mullen more tools to work with in his first season.

"We're still Florida…" Mullen said. "It's not like we have no talent on the roster."

UF hired Mullen because he has proven his ability to develop that talent. Before Mullen arrived at Mississippi State, the Bulldogs had only nine players drafted in the previous eight years. Mullen produced 22 draft picks from 2010-17.

If he can more than double the number of draft picks at Mississippi State, what will he be able to do if he starts landing the type of elite players Florida is supposed to have?

"We want to get it to where we have a bunch of NFL players working out there on pro day," Mullen said. "The more we do that, the more we expose the program."

Mullen's track record suggests that will happen eventually. But this year, UF won't be exposing its program to the NFL.

Its program will be getting exposed.