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Tennessee Titans Draft Florida Gators Wide Receiver

The wide receiver spent his fifth and final season of college with the Florida Gators and his efforts earned him a selection by the Titans

Tyler Carmona

The Gators WR is heading to Nashville
The Gators WR is heading to Nashville / Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images
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The Florida Gators football program has developed a reputation for pumping out NFL-ready talent over the past few decades. 

Although several players were draft eligible, the Gators did not have a highly-touted prospect the way they have in previous years.

While no Gator was selected in the first three rounds, wide receiver Chimere Dike was selected by the Tennessee Titans in the fourth round. Five more Florida products are expected to get picked in the later rounds, according to mock drafts prepared by ESPN and Pro Football Focus.

Dike spent the 2024 season with the Gators after coming over from Wisconsin. He set a career-high for receiving yards (783) and yards per reception (18.6). He also caught two touchdowns. He played in all 13 games for the Gators, including the Gasparilla Bowl. It was his third career bowl win.

For the first time since 2012, a Florida Gators football player has not been selected in the first three rounds of the NFL Draft. The streak started when defensive tackle Shariff Floyd was selected by the Minnesota Vikings in the First Round, with the 23rd overall pick.

Besides the players who have appeared in mock drafts, former Gators like Graham Mertz, Montrell Johnson and Jeremy Crawshaw will still have the opportunity to sign with teams as undrafted free agents if they do not get drafted.

Despite only having one player selected in the 2024 NFL Draft, wide receiver Ricky Pearsall kept the streak alive when the San Francisco 49ers selected him with the 31st pick of the First Round.

While the 12-year-old streak has come to an end, the Gators have several players who seem poised to be drafted early over the next few years. Players like Jake Slaughter, Austin Barber and Tyreak Sapp should all have legitimate chances of being drafted early with solid performances during their final season at Florida.

As the draft eligible Gators start to find their new homes, Gators Illustrated will continue to provide updates throughout the weekend.

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Tyler Carmona
TYLER CARMONA

Tyler joined the On SI team in January of 2024. He has previously worked as a local TV news reporter and for ESPN Radio. After earning a bachelor's degree from the University of Florida, he attended graduate school and played football at Savannah State.

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