Forecasting the NFL Draft: One Week Away

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The 2017 NFL Draft begins next Thursday night in Philadelphia. The first round of the draft will be held on Thursday, the second and third rounds on Friday night and the remaining rounds on Saturday.

Florida is one of six schools to have had a player taken every year in the Common Draft era (since 1967) and has had a player selected every year since 1952.

With that said, the Gators could have up to 13 former players selected. However, no one really knows who is going where until NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell makes the announcements starting next Thursday at 8 p.m. on ESPN and NFL Network.

Still, there is no shortage of predictions.

Throughout this process, Caleb Brantley, Jarrad Davis, Marcus Maye, Teez Tabor and Quincy Wilson have all appeared in the first round of various mock drafts. However, there has been no consensus.

38249 — Jarrad Davis is viewed as an elite run defender with the ability to react and close on the ball in a hurry

If the Gators do in fact have three first-round selections, it would be the first time since 2010 that three Florida players are taken in the opening round (2010: Joe Haden No. 7 to Cleveland, Maurkice Pouncey No. 18 to Pittsburgh and Tim Tebow No. 25 to Denver). If Tabor and Wilson are both selected on the first day of the draft, it would be the second time in school history that UF had a pair of defensive backs selected in the first round. The first was in 2016, when Vernon Hargreaves III and Keanu Neal were both selected in the first round.

Florida has never had four players selected in the first round of the NFL Draft.

In addition, Alex Anzalone, Bryan Cox, Jr., Joey Ivie and David Sharpe are all expected to be mid-to-late round selections.

35974 — Alex Anzalone has impressed scouts with his athleticism throughout the draft process.

Overall, if nine Gators are selected in the 2017 NFL Draft, it would mark the first time since 2010 that UF has that many players selected, which would tie for the second-most in program history.

UF had 10 players picked in 1978.

That mark could be tied or surpassed if Austin Appleby, Ahmad Fulwood, Mark Herndon or Chris Thompson are drafted. All of the aforementioned players are expected to be picked in the sixth or seventh round or signed as undrafted free agents after the draft.

Our @gregauman did a Q&A with former #Purdue, #Gators QB Austin Appleby ahead of the #NFLDraft. https://t.co/1x7gX5VekF
— Matt Baker (@MBakerTBTimes) April 7, 2017

Here is a look at how all former Gators are projected among 14 mock drafts from various media outlets:

ESPN.com's Mel Kiper, Jr. (Three Round Projection):