Super Bowl champ fires major praise toward former FSU standout

Florida State had two players selected during the 2025 NFL Draft and countless others sign undrafted free agent deals with teams.

The next crop of Seminoles are preparing for their time in the league and while there aren't as many from a year ago, a few talented standouts from Tallahassee could make an early impact on Sundays.

In the days following the draft, former Florida State star safety and Super Bowl XXXVII Champion, Dexter Jackson, spoke with Roto Grinders' Ben Mendelowitz to break down the festivities while highlighting a few of the rookies who were selected.

Jackson is a big fan of the New England Patriots drafting defensive tackle Joshua Farmer in the fourth round out of FSU. He believes Farmer will learn a lot from new Patriots head coach, Mike Vrabel.

"Farmer brings a lot to the Patriots’ defense. I know Mike Vrabel well, so I know Farmer will be coached hard and he’ll be coached well," Jackson said. "From playing under Bill Belichick, Vrabel knows the Xs and Os and he knows what buttons to press to make guys play harder and understand the game better."

"New England is a great spot for Farmer. They are still rebuilding but have a lot of good young players, so it’s a great time for Farmer to come into the team," Jackson added. "He has the opportunity to play right away and learn from a great coach in an organization that has won six Super Bowl championships. The AFC East is not a strong division right now. If they can develop their young players, the Patriots could win this division in 2025."

Feb 27, 2025; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Florida State defensive lineman Joshua Farmer (DL10) participates in drills during the 2025 NFL Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Farmer stands at 6-foot-3, 312 pounds and sports 35-inch arms along with 10 1/4 hands, bringing plenty of size into the equation. He's a solid athlete as well. At the NFL Combine, Farmer posted a 5.11 40-yard dash, 29-inch vertical jump, 9'4" broad jump, and 26 bench-press reps of 225 pounds.

Jackson's praise for Farmer got somewhat bold.

"It’s cold in New England and you can’t throw the ball 60 times, so you have to try and run," Jackson said. "So, for them to go out and get a bigger guy in Farmer, who can plug the hole but also still get pressure on the quarterback up front, it’s a great selection."

"When you take his intangibles, tape, and skill set into consideration and combine that with the situation he is in being coached by Vrabel in a cold environment where he could play right away, Farmer could be a future Defensive Player of the Year," Jackson continued. "Maybe I’m a little biased because he’s coming from Florida State, but they do have a history of creating great NFL defensive players."

During his four seasons at Florida State, Farmer made 42 appearances and started in 25 games. He totaled 80 tackles, 21 tackles for loss, 11 sacks, one forced fumble, and two pass deflections. Farmer tied a career-high with five tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, and one sack in FSU's victory on the road against Clemson in 2023. He was a starter on the ACC Championship team that same season.

Farmer will get a chance to take the field with the Patriots at rookie minicamp later this month.

Which Former Florida State Players Are On NFL Teams?

RB Trey Benson - Arizona Cardinals

DB Jammie Robinson - Arizona Cardinals

OLB Josh Sweat - Arizona Cardinals

WR Keon Coleman - Buffalo Bills

K Dustin Hopkins - Cleveland Browns

DL Mario Edwards Jr. - Houston Texans

DB Ronald Darby - Houston Texans

DB Jarrian Jones - Jacksonville Jaguars

DL Fabien Lovett Sr. - Kansas City Chiefs

DE Janarius Robinson - Kansas City Chiefs

DB Derwin James Jr. - Los Angeles Chargers

DB Asante Samuel Jr. - Los Angeles Chargers *free agent

DL Braden Fiske - Los Angeles Rams

OLB Keir Thomas - Los Angeles Rams

OLB Jared Verse - Los Angeles Rams

DB Jalen Ramsey - Miami Dolphins

RB Cam Akers - Minnesota Vikings *free agent

TE Jaheim Bell - New England Patriots

DL Joshua Farmer - New England Patriots

OLB Brian Burns - New York Giants

K Graham Gano - New York Giants

QB Jameis Winston - New York Giants

OLB Jermaine Johnson - New York Jets

DL Derrick Nnadi - New York Jets

DB Azareye'h Thomas - New York Jets

WR Ontaria Wilson - New York Jets

WR Johnny Wilson - Philadelphia Eagles

LB Tatum Bethune - San Francisco 49ers

DB Renardo Green - San Francisco 49ers

DL Eddie Goldman - Washington Commanders

OL Bobby Hart - Washington Commanders

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