Gators 2019 NFL Draft Class Rookie Wrap Up
The Florida Gators have had success in recent years churning out talent in preparation for the next level - the National Football League.
In 2019, the Gators had the fifth-most players selected - five players selected in total. Two of those players - Jaguars right tackle Jawaan Taylor and new Orleans Saints nickelback Chauncey Gardner-Johnson -, had fantastic rookie seasons, showcasing the same skills they possessed while at Florida.
Although expectations were high for the majority of players selected in the 2019 draft class out of Florida, not all players shared the same fortune.
The players selected in 2019 outside of Taylor and Gardner-Johnson out of Florida, include defensive end/outside linebacker Jachai Polite (third round, New York Jets), linebacker Vosean Joseph (fifth round, Buffalo Bills), and running back Jordan Scarlett (fifth round, Carolina Panthers).
While attending Florida, Polite was one of the most gifted pass rushers in the country. After posting gaudy numbers during his junior season to the tune of 11 sacks and 19.5 tackles for loss, the former Florida outside linebacker was bound for the first round. However, an extremely poor combine, which included poor athletic testing, bizarre interviews, and several other red flags, caused his draft stock to plummet.
The former Florida pass rusher has yet to play regular-season down in the NFL, bouncing from practice squad to practice squad thus far since his initial release by the Jets. Currently, Polite looks to change his fortune in 2020 after being signed by the Los Angeles Rams on a futures contract in January.
Selected in 147th overall by the Buffalo Bills, Joseph's rookie season was over before it even really could begin. The former Gators linebacker was placed on the team's reserve/injured list just before the regular season.
As a standout linebacker at the University of Florida, Joseph declared for the NFL Draft early after finished his three-year career with 161 total tackles, four sacks, two fumble recoveries, and one forced fumble.
The final Gators draft pick, Scarlett enjoyed a respectable career at Florida while splitting carries with former Gators running back Kelvin Taylor during his first two seasons in college before competing for snaps with standout running back Lamical Perine in 2018.
After accumulating 344 carries for 1,846 yards and 15 touchdowns in his career at Florida, Scarlett was selected 154th overall by the Carolina Panthers. In 2019, Scarlett would see the field, however, not for long. The former Gators running power back rushed only four times for nine yards while appearing in nine games overall.
While Scarlett is listed as the Panthers' third running back, none of the Panthers backup running backs saw much action after featured running back Christian McCaffrey was seen on a staggering 93.35% of all offensive snaps last season.
Scarlett will look to continue developing on special teams (113 snaps in 2019), and perhaps take on a different role under new Panthers head coach Matt Rhule.
The 2019 Gators draft class may not be overly successful, however, the talent and potential should not be ignored. With Taylor and Gardner-Johnson leading the pack, the Gators in the NFL will look to continue developing to showcase why they were so successful on the field at the collegiate level.
Check out our review of the Gators' most productive draft picks (Jawaan Taylor) here and (Chauncey Gardner-Johnson) here.
Make sure to follow Demetrius Harvey on twitter by going to @Demetrius82 to all the latest news, updates, and breakdowns of Gators athletics.
