The Florida Gators have had plenty of talent run through Gainesville over the years, even through a minor rough patch this decade.
However, this hasn't always translated to the NFL Draft. The Gators haven't had multiple players picked in the opening round of the draft since Kyle Pitts and Kadarius Toney were selected on Day 1 in 2021.
That drought could be broken in the 2026, according to a way-too-early mock draft released by ESPN's Matt Miller on Monday.
Miller's mock had two Gators going in the first round, however, those Florida prospects made up two of the last four picks.
Florida Gators could have two players selected in the first round
Tyreak Sapp was the first Gator off the board, being selected 29th overall by the Detroit Lions.
Sapp accumulated a team-high seven sacks and 13 tackles for loss in 2024 while also forcing a pair of fumbles.
He finished the season with a 90.4 PFF grade, which ranked ninth among all FBS edge rushers. Six of the eight players ahead of Sapp were selected in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Yet Sapp was surprisingly the sixth edge rusher off the board for Miller, and he nearly fell out of the first round.
A Gator player closed out the first round of Miller's mock, with First-Team All-American and All-SEC firs team center Jake Slaughter being selected by the Buffalo Bills with the 32nd pick.
Slaughter did not allow a single sack in 2024 and was flagged for a penalty just two times across 800 snaps. His 82.1 PFF grade ranked sixth among FBS centers and would have also ranked in the top 10 among guards.
Miller believes that Slaughter's 6-foot-4, 294-pound frame could allow the Ocala native to play center or guard at the NFL level.
Unlike Sapp, Slaughter was the first of his position to go off the board. There weren't any guards or centers selected in the first round outside of Slaughter, further cementing his spot as the best center in the country.