Gators to extend NFL 'Common Draft' streak that started with 49ers to, well, 49 in a row
Thursday, April 30, 2015 | Football, Men's Swimming & Diving, Scott Carter
GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- The three-day NFL Draft opens tonight with the first round.
It shouldn't take Florida long to continue one of the more impressive streaks in college football.
The Gators are one of six teams who have had a player taken every year in the Common Draft era, which started when the NFL and AFL held a joint draft for the first time in 1967.
Quarterback Steve Spurrier was the first UF player selected in the Common Draft era, taken third overall in '67 by San Francisco. Running back Jimmy Jordan went in the third round that year to Atlanta.
Florida defensive lineman Dante Fowler Jr. is projected as a top 10 pick tonight and offensive lineman D.J. Humphries could also go in the first round.
The Gators were regulars in the NFL Draft long before the Common Draft era, though. The last time Florida didn't have a player selected: 1951.
The following season, Detroit selected center Carroll McDonald in the 13th round and every year since at least one UF player has been picked in the NFL Draft.
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6 schools have had a player taken every year in Common Draft era (since 1967): Florida, Michigan, Michigan St, Nebraska, Tennessee, USC
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) April 27, 2015
