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It is officially mock draft season with the start of the 2025 NFL draft coming up next week, and the sports media is ablaze with various takes on this year's professional pigskin picking process. The seven-round event begins on Thursday, April 24, with the first salvo of selections in Green Bay, Wisconsin.
This year, there does not appear to be any representative of the Florida football program poised to be taken among the first 32 picks, but at least five UF alumni are expected to be plucked sometime by the end of the seventh round. Nonetheless, the Orange and Blue are almost guaranteed to extend its SEC-leading 72-straight years (since 1952) of having at least one player taken in the NFL draft — second in the nation behind the Michigan Wolverines and USC Trojans, both of whose streaks go back to 1939.
Speaking of draft history, Sports Illustrated's Matt Verderame decided to take a different route in his recent review, instead opting to assemble his "ultimate NFL mock draft" in which he chose the best player ever selected at each of the 224 total picks in the current draft format. Among them were a pair of Florida Gators — running back Emmitt Smith and defensive end Jack Youngblood — both of whom have been enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
"One spot after seeing the all-time receiving leader, we see the all-time rushing leader," Verderame begins. "Smith was a virtuoso with the ball in his hands, rushing for 18,355 yards and 164 touchdowns, largely behind the Great Wall of Dallas. In the 1990s, Smith won three Super Bowls with the Cowboys and was named to eight Pro Bowls and four first-team All-Pro units, while also taking home the ’93 MVP."
"Youngblood is largely remembered for playing much of the 1979 playoffs with a broken leg, but he’s so much more," Verderame recalls. "The defensive end enjoyed a brilliant 14-year career with the Rams, totaling an unofficial 151.5 career sacks. He was also a five-time first-team All-Pro and was named the 1975 Defensive Player of the Year by the UPI."
The 2025 NFL draft begins on Thursday, April 24, and will be held at Lambeau Field and its adjacent Titletown District in Green Bay, Wisconsin, until Saturday, April 26. The first round of selections begins at 8 p.m. ET and can be followed live on NFL Network, NFL+, ESPN, ESPN2, and ESPN Deportes.
Rounds 2 and 3 of the draft will take place on Friday night starting at 7 p.m. ET and the remainder of the rounds will play out on Saturday starting at noon ET. The subsequent days will also be available via the above-mentioned platforms.
Follow us @GatorsWire on X, formerly known as Twitter, as well as Bluesky, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.
This article originally appeared on Gators Wire: Florida's Emmitt Smith, Jack Youngblood among Ultimate NFL Mock Draft
Continue reading...
This year, there does not appear to be any representative of the Florida football program poised to be taken among the first 32 picks, but at least five UF alumni are expected to be plucked sometime by the end of the seventh round. Nonetheless, the Orange and Blue are almost guaranteed to extend its SEC-leading 72-straight years (since 1952) of having at least one player taken in the NFL draft — second in the nation behind the Michigan Wolverines and USC Trojans, both of whose streaks go back to 1939.
Speaking of draft history, Sports Illustrated's Matt Verderame decided to take a different route in his recent review, instead opting to assemble his "ultimate NFL mock draft" in which he chose the best player ever selected at each of the 224 total picks in the current draft format. Among them were a pair of Florida Gators — running back Emmitt Smith and defensive end Jack Youngblood — both of whom have been enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Emmitt Smith: No. 17, Dallas Cowboys (1990)
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"One spot after seeing the all-time receiving leader, we see the all-time rushing leader," Verderame begins. "Smith was a virtuoso with the ball in his hands, rushing for 18,355 yards and 164 touchdowns, largely behind the Great Wall of Dallas. In the 1990s, Smith won three Super Bowls with the Cowboys and was named to eight Pro Bowls and four first-team All-Pro units, while also taking home the ’93 MVP."
Jack Youngblood: No. 20, Los Angeles Rams (1971)
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"Youngblood is largely remembered for playing much of the 1979 playoffs with a broken leg, but he’s so much more," Verderame recalls. "The defensive end enjoyed a brilliant 14-year career with the Rams, totaling an unofficial 151.5 career sacks. He was also a five-time first-team All-Pro and was named the 1975 Defensive Player of the Year by the UPI."
2025 NFL draft details
The 2025 NFL draft begins on Thursday, April 24, and will be held at Lambeau Field and its adjacent Titletown District in Green Bay, Wisconsin, until Saturday, April 26. The first round of selections begins at 8 p.m. ET and can be followed live on NFL Network, NFL+, ESPN, ESPN2, and ESPN Deportes.
Rounds 2 and 3 of the draft will take place on Friday night starting at 7 p.m. ET and the remainder of the rounds will play out on Saturday starting at noon ET. The subsequent days will also be available via the above-mentioned platforms.
Follow us @GatorsWire on X, formerly known as Twitter, as well as Bluesky, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.
This article originally appeared on Gators Wire: Florida's Emmitt Smith, Jack Youngblood among Ultimate NFL Mock Draft
Continue reading...
