The 2026 NFL Draft will feature eight former Florida Gators players projected to be selected. Notable names include defensive tackle Caleb Banks and wide receiver J. Michael Sturdivant.
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The 2026 NFL Draft begins on Thursday night in Pittsburgh, where 32 professional franchises will make a cumulative 257 selections over three days.
There are a handful of former Florida Gators who hope to hear their names called sometime between Thursday night and Saturday afternoon, with eight projected by draft experts to be picked in the seven-round event. Those players are defensive tackle Caleb Banks, center Jake Slaughter, cornerback Devin Moore, offensive tackle Austin Barber, edge defenders George Gumbs Jr. and Tyreak Sapp, wide receiver J. Michael Sturdivant and kicker Trey Smack.
Ahead of the annual amateur selection process, several members of the sports media took their time ranking the draft-eligible players, and mocking where and by whom they will be picked. For this aggregation, ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr. and CBS Sports' Mike Renner provide the players' rankings, while ESPN's Jordan Reid, The Athletic's Dane Brugler and NFL.com's Chad Reuter supply the mock draft selections.
Below is a look at how all that shakes out for former members of the Orange and Blue.
Eight former Florida Gators players are projected to be drafted, including Caleb Banks, Jake Slaughter, and J. Michael Sturdivant.
The 2026 NFL Draft begins on Thursday night in Pittsburgh.
Experts like Mel Kiper Jr., Mike Renner, Jordan Reid, Dane Brugler, and Chad Reuter are providing rankings and mock draft selections.
A total of 257 selections will be made over the three days of the 2026 NFL Draft.
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This article originally appeared on Gators Wire: 2026 NFL Draft: Projecting where Florida Gators will be picked