Gators in the NFL: Historic Draft Class Heads Into Week 1
Kickoff for the NFL season is just one week away, and nine players from last season’s Florida football team are set to represent the Gators across the league. Throughout OTAs, training camp and the preseason, Florida’s rookies put their skills on display and earned spots on NFL rosters.
For the first time in school history, Florida football had a player selected in every round of the NFL draft. Florida has had a pick in every NFL draft since 1967, the longest streak of any SEC program.
Defensive tackle Caleb Banks was the first Gator taken off the board. Selected No. 18 overall by the Minnesota Vikings, Banks joins a stacked defensive line that finished fourth in total sacks last season.
Preseason action was rocky for Banks, as he recorded just four tackles across 50 preseason snaps. This small sample size hasn’t diminished the confidence that defensive coordinator Brain Flores has in the team’s first-round pick. Banks enters the season as the top nose tackle on the depth chart with hopes of staying healthy after a foot injury limited him to just three games in 2025.
Former AP All-American and first-team All SEC center Jake Slaughter was taken at pick No. 63 by the Los Angeles Chargers after he spent his entire collegiate career with the Gators, starting every game the last two seasons.
His first NFL start is coming quicker than anybody anticipated. Chargers center Tyler Biadasz suffered damage to his ACL in training camp, moving Slaughter up the depth chart. Playing under coach Jim Harbaugh on an offensive line that is finally healthy, Slaughter slides into a great system for him to grow throughout his rookie season.
Slaughter wasn’t the only Florida offensive lineman drafted. Offensive tackle Austin Barber was taken by the Cleveland Browns in round three. Barber started all 12 games last season, recording 750 snaps and earning a PFF run block grade of 82.2.
Barber is listed as a backup to open the season, but his success in the run game has potential for a Browns offense that ranked in the bottom five in yards per carry in 2025.
Flipping back to the defensive side of the ball, cornerback Devin Moore and defensive end George Gumbs Jr. were drafted in rounds four and five, respectively.
Moore joins a Cowboys team with four former Gators and Super Bowl aspirations. Unfortunately for Moore, the Cowboys placed him on injured reserve with an undisclosed injury and he won’t be eligible to return to action until at least Week 5.
Gumbs showcased his athleticism in the preseason, recording a sack in the Colts preseason opener. The Colts have a lot of depth on their defensive front, so don’t expect Gumbs to see much action in the season opener.
On Day 3 of the NFL draft, the Gators special teams unit didn’t disappoint, with kicker Trey Smack and punter Tommy Doman being selected.
Smack was the first kicker selected, marking the fourth time in the modern draft era that the Gators produced the No. 1 kicker in the draft. Smack has made an immediate impact for the Packers, finishing 9-for-9 on field goals including a 59 yard bomb across three preseason games. He is slated to start in Week 1.
Tommy Doman is also listed as a Week 1 starter. Doman was selected in the seventh round by the Bills, but may not see the field much if Josh Allen leads Buffalo to another top-five scoring season.
Undrafted rookies J. Michael Sturdivant and long snapper Rocco Underwood cap off the group of Gators rookies that made an NFL roster. Sturdivant joins Trey Smack III in Green Bay while Underwood heads up north to play with the Eagles.
Here is a list of the draft selections for every Gators rookie in 2026:
Round 1 (Pick 18): Caleb Banks (DT) – Minnesota Vikings
Round 2 (Pick 63): Jake Slaughter (C) – Los Angeles Chargers
Round 3 (Pick 86): Austin Barber (OT) – Cleveland Browns
Round 4 (Pick 114): Devin Moore (CB) – Dallas Cowboys
Round 5 (Pick 156): George Gumbs Jr. (EDGE) – Indianapolis Colts
Round 6 (Pick 216): Trey Smack (K) – Green Bay Packers
Round 7 (Pick 239): Tommy Doman (P) – Buffalo Bills
Category: Former Gators, Gator Sports, Gators Football, NFL
