Buffalo Selects Gators WR Justin Shorter in 2023 NFL Draft
Photo: Justin Shorter; Credit: Alex Shepherd
The Buffalo Bills have selected Gators wide receiver Justin Shorter in the fifth round of the 2023 NFL Draft.
Shorter joins former teammate, offensive guard O'Cyrus Torrence, in Buffalo while stepping into a plentiful group of weapons the Bills have compiled around franchise quarterback Josh Allen. He's expected to provide relief to Stefon Diggs and Gabe Davis in the wide receiver room.
As a former five-star prospect out of Monmouth Junction (N.J.), Shorter originally signed with Penn State to continue his playing career before entering the transfer portal after a tumultuous two seasons in Happy Valley.
The Gators, who attempted to replace several NFL departures in the wide receiver corps at that point, offered Shorter the fresh start he looked for.
Despite easing into a complementary role in 2020 while Kadarius Toney, Kyle Pitts and Trevon Grimes earned a bulk of the targets in a historically dominant air attack, Shorter produced career-high metrics in all major categories to that point.
Reeling in 26 catches for 268 yards and three touchdowns, Shorter emerged as a viable future contributor in the offense. He eclipsed the starting lineup in 2021; as a result, remaining there until his entry into the NFL Draft this offseason.
While the 6-foot-4, 223-pound pass catcher struggled to live up to the five-star billing — failing to showcase the ability to create separation at the top of routes with consistency and never eclipsing more than 600 yards and three touchdowns in a single season — he produced as a top option for the Gators in his final two seasons.
He accounted for 95 receptions, 1,389 yards, 14.6 yards per reception and eight scores in three seasons at UF.
Shorter projects to serve as a rotational X-receiver at the professional level, providing a big-bodied possession receiver with the ability to stretch the field as a deep threat in specific scenarios. In his fifth-year senior season catching balls from Anthony Richardson, he made that fact evident as he accounted for nearly 20 yards per catch (19.9), good for seventh-best in the NCAA in 2022.
Both of his touchdowns came on passes 50 yards or longer.
However, a hamstring injury hampered Shorter from furthering his breakout campaign in the back half of the season as he missed four of Florida's final five contests. His absence was evident in the Gators' offensive attack.
The Bills will likely look to hone his contested catch talents in the early years of his career, hoping to find a viable red zone and short-yardage threat out wide on top of the services he'll provide down the field.
Shorter becomes the fifth Gator picked in the 2023 NFL Draft, following:
- QB Anthony Richardson, Indianapolis Colts, first round, No. 4 overall
- DL Gervon Dexter, Chicago Bears, second round, No. 53 overall
- OL O'Cyrus Torrence, Buffalo Bills, second round, No. 59 overall
- LB Ventrell Miller, Jacksonville Jaguars, fourth round, No. 121 overall
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