![Florida Gators defensive lineman Desmond Watson (21) tackles Tulane Green Wave quarterback Ty Thompson (7) during the first half at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, FL on Friday, December 20, 2024 in the 2024 Union Home Mortgage Gasparilla Bowl. [Doug Engle/Gainesville Sun]](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,x_0,y_37,w_1796,h_1010/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/ImagnImages/mmsport/213/01jsepjcab88q7rsw50r.jpg "Florida Gators defensive lineman Desmond Watson (21) tackles Tulane Green Wave quarterback Ty Thompson (7) during the first half at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, FL on Friday, December 20, 2024 in the 2024 Union Home Mortgage Gasparilla Bowl. [Doug Engle/Gainesville Sun]")
The NFL Draft kicks off on Thursday and will run through Saturday in Green Bay, and Florida Football should have several members called during the three-day event. As we noted yesterday, ESPN had five Gators getting picked in their mock draft, and there are a couple of other guys like Brandon Crenshaw-Dickson who have had their name pop up in other mock drafts.
But there are a handful of Gators who haven't had quite as much buzz surrounding them, but it wouldn't be a stunner to see a team take a 7th-round flyer on.
These are five Gators who are long shots to get picked during the NFL Draft but still have a pathway to break through.
Montrell Johnson was faster than advertised with Florida Football
When Johnson ran a 4.41-second 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine, even most Gator fans were like, "I didn't know he had that in him." The calling card for Johnson during his time in Gainesville was being a patient running back who thrived in a zone-blocking scheme.
Most mock drafts have Johnson on the outside looking in, but given his 40 time we could see a team looking for a running back take a flyer on Johnson.
Graham Mertz
Coming into the 2024 campaign, there was a belief that Graham Mertz could play his way into being an early Day 3 or even a Day 2 pick, but he did not have a great game against Miami or Texas A&M and was knocked out for the season against Tennessee.
Even with missing the back half of 2024, Big Board rankings put Mertz right at the cusp of being a potential late 7th-rounder for a team looking for a backup. And while Mertz does fit the mold of someone who could make it for a long time as a backup in the NFL, whether or not a team wants to spend a draft pick on a backup remains to be seen.
Desmond Watson
After bench pressing 225 pounds 39 times at Florida's Pro Day, Desmond Watson turned some heads, but it hasn't led to him getting propped up in mock drafts.
NBC Sports ranks him as the 288th prospect, which still puts him in the UDFA territory.
But we could see an NFC East team, Washington in particular, looking to stop the Tush Push take a backend chance on Watson as 3rd down/goal line package specialist.
Jeremy Crawshaw
It's never easy for punters to get drafted, so even though Jeremy Crawshaw was one of the top punters in the country last year, there is just one mock draft by The Athletic from March that has him getting picked.
But even if we goes undrafted, he should get a look from someone during training camp.
Trikweze Bridges
Perhaps the most underappreciated played on Florida's defense last season; some people were surprised that Trikweze Bridges didn't even get an invite to the NFL Combine.
He had a great Pro Day that featured a 4.38-second 40-yard dash, so while he is on the radar of zero mock drafts, we could see an NFL GM taking a stab at Bridges in the 7th round.