10 biggest Florida football NFL Draft busts of all time
![Former Florida Gators quarterback Tim Tebow watches during the first quarter of an NCAA football game Saturday, Oct. 29, 2022 at TIAA Bank Field in Jacksonville. The Georgia Bulldogs outlasted the Florida Gators 42-20. [Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union]Flgai 102922 Florida Vs Georgia 39](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_fill,w_1080,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/shape%2Fcover%2Fsport%2F78d729bf3362376bf9b1f8cf08dcde5b002fd93bc168d7ed93cd77dd4c03a1cd.jpg "Former Florida Gators quarterback Tim Tebow watches during the first quarter of an NCAA football game Saturday, Oct. 29, 2022 at TIAA Bank Field in Jacksonville. The Georgia Bulldogs outlasted the Florida Gators 42-20. [Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union]Flgai 102922 Florida Vs Georgia 39")
When you talk about Florida football, you generally think of success both in Gainesville and in the NFL. But a great career as a Gator doesn’t always translate into the same thing in the pros.
There have been several successful NFL players that spent time as a member of the Florida football program. Mike Pouncey, Emmitt Smith, Percy Harvin, and Jack Youngblood are among the former first-round draft picks with great NFL careers.
But not every former Gator that was drafted in the first round can say they had a successful stint in the National Football League, and we are going to take a look at ten of them that are remembered fondly by Gator Nation but not so much by their subsequent NFL fanbase.
The list of Florida football NFL Draft busts begins with arguably one of the greatest Gators of all time, who struggled to find the right home in the NFL
QB. Denver Broncos. Tim Tebow. 10. player. 45.
Florida Football NFL Draft bust No. 10: Tim Tebow
2010 Draft, Round 1, Pick 25
Denver Broncos, 2010-2011
New York Jets, 2012
It’s unfair in some ways to label Tebow as an NFL bust, considering a solid number of pundits wouldn’t have drafted him as high as the Denver Broncos did in 2010 when he was drafted 25th overall.
As Florida fans know, Tebow was a wrecking ball in college, and because teams had to creep up an account for him as a runner, it opened up easy throwing lanes for him to hit.
In the NFL, his style just didn’t translate because he couldn’t just run guys over, and when forced to read the entire field, he struggled. There was the whole Tebowmania thing that culminated with the Broncos knocking off Pittsburgh in the playoffs, but if we are honest with ourselves, that was a mirage and had as much to do with Denver’s defense as it did with Tebow.
Tebow officially ended his NFL career, having played in 35 games, with a completion rate of 47.9%. He threw 17 touchdowns against nine interceptions and a career QB rating of 75.3.
He’s done alright for himself post-football. Despite failed attempts at baseball and as a tight end for the Jacksonville Jaguars, Tebow has a home as an analyst with the SEC Network for as long as he wants it.