Projecting where Florida Gators will be picked in 2026 NFL Draft

[ASFN Admin]

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.

DT Caleb Banks​

Rankings

• Kiper: No. 5 DT; No. 63 overall
• Renner: No. 92 overall

Projected pick, team

• Reid: No. 45 (2nd) - Baltimore Ravens
• Brugler: No. 44 (2nd) - New York Jets (via DAL)
• Reuter: No. 14 (1st) - Baltimore Ravens

C Jake Slaughter​

Rankings

• Kiper: No. 3 C; No. 83 overall
• Renner: No. 110 overall

Projected pick, team

• Reid: No. 106 (4th) - Houston Texans (via WSH)
• Brugler: No. 89 (3rd) - Chicago Bears
• Reuter: No. 158 (5th) - Carolina Panthers (via MIN)

CB Devin Moore​

Rankings

• Kiper: No. 16 CB; No. 133 overall
• Renner: No. 115 overall

Projected pick, team

• Reid: No. 124 (4th) - Jacksonville Jaguars
• Brugler: No. 116 (4th) - Tampa Bay Buccaneers
• Reuter: No. 117 (4th) - Las Vegas Raiders (via MIN through JAX)

OT Austin Barber​

Rankings

• Kiper: No. 13 OT; No. 112 overall
• Renner (rank): No. 85 overall

Projected pick, team

• Reid: No. 129 (4th) - Chicago Bears (via LAR)
• Brugler: No. 109 (4th) - Kansas City Chiefs
• Reuter: No. 60 (2nd) - Chicago Bears (via BUF)

EDGE George Gumbs Jr.​

Rankings

• Kiper: No. 25 EDGE
• Renner: NR

Projected pick, team

• Reid: No. 152 (5th) - Dallas Cowboys
• Brugler: No. 138 (4th) - San Francisco 49ers
• Reuter: No. 146 (5th) - Dallas Cowboys (via projected CLE trade)

WR J. Michael Sturdivant​

Rankings

• Kiper: No. 35 WR
• Renner: No. 251 overall

Projected pick, team

• Reid: No. 241 (7th) - Chicago Bears
• Brugler: No. 251 (7th) - Los Angeles Rams
• Reuter: No. 229 (7th) - Tampa Bay Buccaneers

EDGE Tyreak Sapp​

Rankings

• Kiper: No. 36 EDGE
• Renner: No. 205 overall

Projected pick, team

• Reid: No. 244 (7th) - Minnesota Vikings (via HOU)
• Brugler: No. 187 (6th) - Washington Commanders
• Reuter: No. 240 (7th) - Jacksonville Jaguars

K Trey Smack​

Rankings

• Kiper: No. 1 K
• Renner: NR

Projected pick, team

• Reid: No. 197 (6th) - Philadelphia Eagles (via ATL)
• Brugler: No. 219 (7th) - Las Vegas Raiders
• Reuter: No. 228 (7th) - New York Jets (via DAL through BUF, LV)

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This article originally appeared on Gators Wire: 2026 NFL Draft: Projecting where Florida Gators will be picked

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