Fowler about to join some rarefied Gators first-round air
Wednesday, April 29, 2015 | Football, Women's Swimming & Diving, Chris Harry
GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- Dante Fowler Jr., is poised to become the 47th first-round NFL draft pick in University of Florida history. Not only is Fowler, who will play defensive end or outside linebacker depending on the system, a slam dunk to go in the top 10, but it'll be a shock of he's not the first Gator product to be chosen in the top five since defensive tackle Gerard “Big Money” Warren went third overall to Cleveland in 2001.
How rarefied is top-five air in UF lore?
* No. 1 overall: None
* No. 2 overall: 1 (and that was Paul Duhart 70 years ago)
* No. 3 overall: 4 (Steve Spurrier in 1966; Chuck Hunsinger in '50; Wes Chandler in '78; and Warren).
That's it.
With the exception of Chandler, who was a superstar wideout in both New Orleans and San Diego, none of those top-fivers had stellar careers. Duhart, a Canadian who fought in World War II before attending Florida, played just two NFL seasons after being picked by Pittsburgh. Hunsinger played three seasons in Chicago, but is best known for a certain play as a back with the Montreal Allouettes that cost his team the 1954 Grey Cup championship game in the Canadian Football League.
Spurrier was drafted by San Francisco to eventually succeed incumbent quarterback John Brodie, but was basically a pretty good punter for nine NFL seasons, though he did hold the team record for touchdown passes in a game (5) for 13 years until Joe Montana tied it in 1985 and Steve Young broke it with six in '95. Warren stuck around for 11 seasons with Cleveland, Denver, Oakland and New England.
By all accounts, Fowler figures to have a major impact on whatever team takes him -- Jacksonville and Washington are the ones he most matches up with in mock drafts -- but I'm sure the same was said 14 years ago about Warren, right?
Last year, the Gators had defensive tackle Dominique Easley picked in the first round, despite suffering a season-ending knee injury nearly eight months earlier. Easley went to New England with the 29th pick overall and, though inactive in the postseason, got a Super Bowl championship ring as a rookie.
Easley gave Florida a first round pick in all but eight of the 32 drafts since 1983.
Fowler will make it 33, with offensive tackle and fellow early entry D.J. Humphries also with a good shot of jumping into Round 1.
All time, the Gators have had 316 players drafted by the NFL (that ranks 12th among college programs, with 46 in the first round).
Here are my picks for the best ever (and, no, they've not changed since last year). 
1) Emmitt Smith (Dallas, 1990, 17th overall, pictured right). NFL's all-time rushing leader with 18,355 yards, three-time Super Bowl champion, eight-time Pro-Bowler, four-time NFL rushing champion and first-ballot Pro Football Hall-of-Famer. Smith (pictured above right) is the only choice for this spot, right? Right.
2) Wilber Marshall (Chicago, 1984, 11th overall). Beastly outside linebacker -- maybe the greatest defensive player in UF history -- who starred on arguably the greatest defense in NFL history for the Bears. In 1988, Marshall (signed a free-agent contract before there was even free agency. He got big money from Washington and helped the Redskins win a Super Bowl, too.
3) Wes Chandler (New Orleans, 1978, 3rd overall). Was great for the Saints, but even greater as one Dan Fouts' targets for those explosive “Air Coryell” offenses in San Diego.
4) Jack Youngblood (Los Angeles Rams, 1971, 20th overall). Linebacker from Monticello became the first UF-produced Pro Football Hall of Famer in 2001. One of the toughest, most ferocious and passionate players of his era.
5) Lomas Brown (Detroit Lions, 1985, 6th overall). An 18-year offensive left tackle whose career spanned three decades (1980s, 1990s and 2000s), was voted to seven Pro Bowls and named first-team All-Pro three times. Won a Super Bowl as a backup with Tampa Bay in '02.
6) Kevin Carter (St. Louis Rams, 1995, 6th overall). Exemplary student-athlete, Carter became a Pro Bowl defensive end for the '99 Super Bowl champion Rams and went on to star for Tennessee, Miami and Tampa Bay, as well. Carter is one of only 30 players in NFL history to record 100 sacks in a career, Carter's 104.5 is tied for 25th all-time. 
7) Jevon Kearse (Tennessee Titans, 1999, 16th overall). They were calling him “The Freak” before everybody it seemed was called a “freak.” Kearse (right) broke the league's rookie record for sacks with 14.5 and won '99 Defensive Rookie of Year honors while helping the Titans reach the Super Bowl (where they lost to Carter's Rams).
8) Fred Taylor (Jacksonville Jaguars, 1998, 9th overall). One of only 28 players in NFL history to reach 10,000 career rushing yards, Taylor currently ranks 15th on the all-time list with 11,695 yards. He retired after the 2010 season.
9) Trace Armstrong (Chicago Bears, 1989, 12th overall). Another 100-sacks club member. He checks in at 24th with 106. Armstrong returned to school to get his law degree, went on to become president of the NFL Players Association and now is agent for several high-profile coaches and sports media personalities.
10) Percy Harvin (Minnesota Vikings, 2009, 22nd overall). Tough to imagine 21 players better than this guy in that draft. Harvin was Offensive Rookie of the Year playing alongside Brett Favre. Granted, Harvin has had his issues, both injury and otherwise -- which is why Buffalo in 2015 will be his fourth team in as many seasons -- but everyone knows what he's capable of doing, with his dazzling 87-yard kickoff return for the Seahawks against Denver in Super Bowl XLIII his gold-standard play.
