Six Gators Crack PFF’s 2026 NFL Draft Big Board

The Florida Gators are well represented on the big draft board for 2026

Florida Gators defensive end Tyreak Sapp is among those on the Draft Big Board / Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images

Ahead of the 2025 college football season, Pro Football Focus has released its 2026 NFL Draft Big Board, highlighting the top 200 NFL prospects leading up to next year's draft.

In the 2025 NFL Draft, the Florida Gators didn't have a single player selected in the first three rounds of the draft, snapping a 12 year streak of early draft picks. According to PFF, a new streak could be on the horizon, as multiple Gators are projected to be early-round selections in the 2026 NFL Draft.

Six Florida players (Jake Slaughter, Tyreak Sapp, Eugene Wilson III, Austin Barber, Caleb Banks and Roderick Kearney) made the list, with four (Slaughter, Sapp, Wilson III, Banks) cracking the top 60.

It's no surprise that Slaughter, a 2024 AP First Team All-American, is Florida’s highest-ranked player. Slotted at No.15 overall, the rising redshirt senior is PFF’s highest-ranked interior line prospect. Last season, he started in all 13 games, earning the fifth-highest offense grade (81.1) among all FBS centers.

Sapp, also a rising redshirt senior, is PFF’s 27th-best overall prospect. During the 2024-2025 season, he received a top-10 grade among all FBS edge rushers while leading Florida with seven sacks and 13 tackles for loss. Among all returning FBS players, Sapp will be the second highest-graded edge rusher (first in SEC) heading into the 2025-2026 season.

Despite having his season cut short due to injuries in 2024, wide receiver Eugene Wilson III is PFF’s 57th-ranked prospect. Wilson III caught 19 passes for 266 yards and a touchdown last season before being forced to end his season due to a hip injury that required surgery. The rising junior first flashed his potential as a true freshman, catching 61 passes and leading the team in receiving touchdowns (6) while being named to the Freshman All-SEC team.

Banks, now entering his third year at Florida, came in at No.60. Last season, the rising redshirt senior started 10 games, finishing with 21 tackles and 4.5 sacks. During Florida’s upset win over No.9 Ole Miss, he was named the SEC Co-Defensive Lineman of the Week after finishing with 2.5 sacks while generating seven pressures. 

 Barber, the second Gators offensive lineman on the list, was the 180th-ranked prospect. In 2024, he started all 13 games at left tackle, allowing just two sacks. During a 45-28 win over Mississippi State, he was named the SEC Offensive Linemen of the Week while finishing with the best pass-blocking grade on the team (85.6).

The last Gator on the list was offensive lineman Roderick Kearney, who was the No.193 prospect on the board. This comes as a bit of a surprise since Kearney did not start a game for Florida last season. With that being said, he did grade well during the times that he saw action last season (78.9 pass-block grade vs No.5 Texas, 82.8 pass-block grade vs Tulane). Back in March, Florida offensive coordinator Rob Sale offered high praise for Keaney’s performance during spring practices.

“He's doing really well. That's his natural position, to play guard. I'm pleased with him for sure,” Sale said.

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