Florida Football: Which Gators were drafted & signed as UDFAs?

Florida Gators 2022 NFL Draftees & UDFA signings

With the 2022 NFL Draft completed and UDFA signings mostly completed, we now have an idea of which Florida football players will be in NFL team’s training camps.  This saw 3 Florida Gators drafted, and 5 more signed to teams as undrafted free agents.  While this is a down year for the Gators program in terms of producing prospects and having them drafted, the ones who were selected will most definitely make an impact on their respective teams immediately.  Those who went undrafted and got signed will have more work to do this offseason, however, they could eventually find their roles on an NFL roster.

Round #1 Pick 23: Kaiir Elam – Cornerback – Buffalo Bills

The first Florida Gator to be taken in the NFL Draft, as expected, was cornerback Kaiir Elam.  Elam has been an absolutely phenomenal prospect for Florida football over his 3-year tenure and has proved his worth enough to become a first-round pick.  The Buffalo Bills were one of the teams we had mentioned in a previous article prior to the draft detailing 3 teams that had been in contact with Elam and would be likely to draft him.

What does Elam bring to the Bills?  Physical presence and athleticism to put it simply.  His press-man coverage capabilities are like none other, and he is able to make plays on the ball that simply are astounding.  With 5 interceptions, 20 pass breakups, and 78 tackles in his collegiate career, Elam will look to continue his success at the next level with Buffalo.  With premier cornerback Tre’Davious White locking up the CB1 spot for the foreseeable future, Elam will be taking the spot alongside him on the outside to even further enhance an already top-level secondary.

Round #3 Pick 95: Zachary Carter – Defensive Lineman – Cincinnati Bengals

The next Gator to be taken in the draft was defensive lineman Zachary Carter, a 4-year senior.  Carter’s primary strength that shows up for NFL teams is his versatility, as he played all along the defensive line throughout his career with Florida football.  At the next level, he translates better as a defensive tackle, as a lot of his pass-rushing capabilities came through the bull rush and his strong hands.  He also has above average upper body strength and has an extremely high motor which allows him to get quite a few second effort chances.  He will play between edges Sam Hubbard and Trey Hendrickson, as well as alongside defensive tackles B.J. Hill and D.J. Reader.

Round #4 Pick 107: Dameon Pierce – Runningback – Houston Texans

The final Florida Gator to be drafted was big and strong running back Dameon Pierce.  Pierce by no means had an illustrious career with the Gators, however, he was a great complemental back in an RB room with Malik Davis (mentioned later).  Pierce was a fourth-year senior with the Gators and accrued 1,806 rushing yards and 23 rushing touchdowns on 329 attempts, but his versatility carried over to his receiving game as well.  He would come down with 45 receptions for 422 yards and 5 additional touchdowns from the field.  Overall, Pierce will be a great back for the Texans to utilize in their system, and could even see starting reps eventually once he develops some more.

Undrafted Free Agent Signings

As of right now, there have been five UDFA signings, listed below:

• Jeremiah Moon – Linebacker – Baltimore Ravens
• Tyrone Truesdell – Defensive Tackle – New York Giants
• Antonio Valentino – Defensive Tackle – New York Giants
• Jean Delance – Offensive Tackle – Chicago Bears
• Malik Davis – Runningback – Dallas Cowboys