Garcia, Ball, Debose and Brown Selected on Day Three of NFL Draft
Sunday, May 3, 2015 | Football
NFL Draft Releases: Dante Fowler, Jr | D.J. Humphries | Chaz Green & Matt Jones
CHICAGO, Ill. -- The University of Floirda football program had eight former student-athletes drafted during this weekend's NFL Draft in Chicago, Ill. Eight players drafted not only ranks the Gators third nationally, but is the top mark in the Southeastern Conference.
In addition, the Gators had six players on offense taken in same draft for the first time since 1978 (eight rounds).
Four former Gators were selected on the third and final day of the 2015 NFL Draft. Offensive lineman Max Garcia was a fourth round selection by the Denver Broncos, while linebacker Neiron Ball and wide receiver Andre Debose were taken in the fifth and seventh rounds by the Oakland Raiders. OL Trenton Brown was the final Gator picked as he was selected by the San Francisco 49ers in the seventh round.
They join defensive lineman Dante Fowler, Jr. (first round, Jacksonville), offensive linemen D.J. Humphries (first round, Arizona) and Chaz Green (third round, Dallas) and tailback Matt Jones (third round, Washington to total eight Gators drafted in 2015.
With Humphries, Green, Garcia and Brown getting drafted, 2015 is the first year that Florida had four offensive lineman selected in the Common Draft era (1967).
Garcia is the 17th Gator selected by the Broncos and the first since they grabbed Tim Tebow in 2010. He is the first UF offensive lineman that Denver picked since 2000 (Cooper Carlisle, 4th round). The Broncos have been student-athletes from Florida than any other school in the country.
Ball is the first Gator drafted by the Raiders since WR Louis Murphy (2009, 4th round) and UF's first-ever defensive player picked by Oakland. Debose was the No. 221 overall pick in the draft and is the first UF wide receiver picked by Oakland since Murphy. This is the first time in NFL Draft history that Oakland picked two Florida Gators.
Similar to Garcia and the Broncos, Brown is 17th Florida Gator selected by the 49ers. He is also the first Gator picked by them since they took Ray McDonald in the third round of the 2007 NFL Draft.
Overall, the SEC led all conferences with 54 players selected, the ninth straight year the league has had the most players taken in the NFL Draft.
2015 GATORS IN THE NFL DRAFT
Dante Fowler, Jr. – Jacksonville Jaguars, 1st Round (No. 3 overall)
Fowler declared for the NFL Draft after his junior season after being named a Second Team All-American by Sporting News and Walter Camp, and a Fourth Team All-American by Phil Steele. In addition, the St. Petersburg product earned Honorable Mention All-America honors from Sports Illustrated. From the SEC, he was selected as an All-SEC First Team performer by the leagues' coaches, ESPN.com and Phil Steele. Fowler was also voted the Defensive MVP and Ray Graves Award winner (Overall Team MVP), and was selected a season captain by his teammates.
Statistically, Fowler finished the 2014 season fourth on the team with 60 total tackles and led the team with 15.0 tackles-for-loss and 8.5 sacks. Overall, he played in 32 games for the Gators and made 26 starts on the defensive line. He recorded 72 total tackles with 18 tackles-for-loss and 5.5 sacks in his career.
D.J. Humphries – Arizona Cardinals, 1st Round (No. 24 overall)
Humphries declared for the NFL Draft following his junior season after playing in 10 games and starting all of the at left tackle. Following the 2012 season, the Union N.C. native was named to the First Team Offense SEC Coaches' All-Freshman (OL) and as a Sporting News Freshman All-American.
Chaz Green – Dallas Cowboys, 3rd Round (No. 91 overall)
Green started 11 games for the Gators in 2014, nine at right tackle and two at left tackle. After earning the Chris Patrick Courage Award as he returned from a season-ending injury in 2013 to start every game. In addition, Green was voted as a team captain for the season by his teammates.
Matt Jones – Washington Redskins, 3rd Round (No. 95 overall)
Jones, who declared for the NFL Draft after his junior season, played in 11 games for the Gators in 2014 and started 10 times at running back. The Seffner, Fla. native led the team with 817 rushing yards on 166 carries, averaging 4.9 yards per carry. He scored six touchdowns on the ground and had one receiving touchdown as he totaled 11 catches for 65 yards. Jones led the team in rushing yards three times this past season and recorded a career-high 192 yards and two touchdowns against Georgia.
Max Garcia – Denver Broncos, 4th Round (No. 133 overall)
Garcia transitioned to center in the spring of 2013 and started every game at the position as a senior. For his efforts on the field. He was selected to the All-SEC Second Team by the league's coaches and Third Team All-SEC by Phil Steele. The Norcross, Ga. native was selected as the Fergie Ferguson Leadership Award winner as voted on by his teammates and the Gators offensive co-MVP. A member of the Rimington Trophy Watch List was a two-time SEC Offensive Lineman of the Week and finished up his career by playing in the 2015 Senior Bowl.
Neiron Ball – Oakland Raiders, 5th Round (No. 161 overall)
Ball played in nine games during his final year at UF, making seven starts at linebacker. The Jackson, Ga. native had a career-high nine tackles against South Carolina and started the season off with a pair of sacks against Eastern Michigan to go along with a forced a fumble. In 2013, Ball played in all 12 games for the Gators and made seven starts at linebacker. That season, he recorded his first career sack against Florida State on Heisman Trophy winner Jameis Winston.
Andre Debose – Oakland Raiders, 7th Round (No. 221 overall)
Debose owns a school record with four kick return touchdowns in his career at Florida. In addition, his four kickoff return touchdowns is tied for the SEC record with Willie Gault (Tenn), Felix Jones (Ark) and Brandon Boykin (UGA). This past season in 2014, the Sanford, Fla. native played in 11 games and served as the primary kick and punt returner. Debose was selected to the 2014 AP All-SEC Second Team and Honorable Mention All-SEC by Phil Steele as a kick returner. He was also named the team's Most Valuable Special Teams player.
Trenton Brown – San Francisco 49ers, 7th Round (No. 244 overall)
Brown played in 11 games this past season and made six starts for UF in 2014. He saw most of his action at guard after playing tackle in 2013. The Albany, Ga. product helped an offensive line that allowed just 16 sacks on the year, which ranked third-best in the SEC and paved the way for 187.7 rushing yards per game, including five games over 200 yards and a season-high 418 against Georgia.
