Florida football: 2021 All-Gator trench team

With the recent sad passing of legendary NFL icon, John Madden, I have decided to honor him by putting together a “starting lineup” of the current best Florida Gators in the NFL. The Florida football program has put out some unbelievable athletes in the last decade, and we will look at the best Gator at each position.

Today, it’s time for the big boys. The offensive linemen. We take a look at the best Gator alumni battling in the trenches in 2021.

Left Tackle – D.J. Humphries – Arizona Cardinals 

D.J. Humphries makes this list for a variety of reasons. One of the most important things for a linemen is the ability to stay healthy, they have contact on every single down they play. Humphries , has been on the field for over 1000 snaps so far this season which ranks inside the top-10 for tackles this season. D.J.  has had some penalty trouble this season, he has nine against him, that ranks fifth in the NFL. Pro Football Focus has Humphries rated the #10 offensive tackle in football, hard to pass up on a top-10 player.

Right Tackle – Trent Brown- New England Patriots

A lot can be said about Trent Brown. This man is an absolute monster on the O-line, he checks in at 6’8 and just a mere 380 pounds. Good luck trying to get by this guy. Easily one of the best seventh-round picks in the NFL. PFF also thinks highly of Brown, they rank him the sixth best tackle in 2021. Brown has only played 355 snaps this season, but has only allowed one sack and taken one penalty.

Center – Max Garcia – Arizona Cardinals 

Our second Arizona Cardinal to make this list, it’s Max Garcia. Garcia is usually positioned at guard, but has filled in some time at center for the Cards, and well we needed someone to play center on this squad. Garcia didn’t make a single start in 2019 or 2020, but has started in nine games in 2021, while playing in 13 total games. Max is rated by PFF as the number six overall guard, which is pretty good for a guy who has seen limited time over the past few seasons. It’s been tough for him filling in at center when he has had to, but he is serviceable.

Left Guard – Fred Johnson – Cincinnati Bengals

This is where it gets a little dicey. The Gators have plenty of linemen in the NFL, but not a ton of guards or centers, so we have to plug some holes. Max Garcia a natural guard has been shifted to center, so Fred Johnson is going to have to step in at left guard. Johnson, just doesn’t play a ton, he has taken just 73 snaps on the 2021 season. Good news, he has a PFF rating of 80.9 for those snaps.

Right Guard – Jawaan Taylor- Jacksonville Jaguars 

Okay, we have to piece together our last part of the O-line, yet again. Good news is Jawaan Taylor is a starting player in the NFL. Bad news, it’s for one of the worst teams in the NFL. Taylor is sliding over from tackle to guard here for us, and it’s been a struggle at guard for him as it is. Taylor has taken 11 penalties on the season, the most in the NFL for any tackle. Looking on the bright side here, maybe shifting him inside will limit the penalties as he won’t be getting beat by the edge rusher. It is what it is.

That wraps us up for the o-line. It could be a manageable line, you have to fantastic players in Brown and Humphries anchoring it at least.

Check back tomorrow for the defensive line starters from the Florida football team.