Florida Gators

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The first Florida player to declare early for the NFL Draft made a wise decision.

Following his junior season and with first-year Gators head coach Steve Spurrier about to unleash his famous Fun N' Gun, running back Emmitt Smith opted to turn pro after the 1989 season.

Smith wasn't alone as the NFL, the last major professional league to refuse to draft underclassmen or players with college eligibility remaining without a pending lawsuit, altered the landscape by permitting underclassmen to enter the traditional draft in 1990.

Smith went to the Cowboys in the first round, won three Super Bowls and became the NFL's all-time leading rusher. Smith, Tennessee running back Reggie Cobb, Georgia running back Rodney Hampton, Southern Cal linebacker Junior Seau and West Virginia quarterback Major Harris were among the notable college juniors who declared early.

In the 30 years since, players leaving early for the draft has become more common than it should considering the final results. Take the Gators, for instance. Smith was among nine UF underclassmen who declared early for the draft in the 1990s. In the 2000s, that number grew to 23. This decade, 36 Gators declared early for the draft.
 
Many went on to have successful NFL careers, many others failed to hang around long.

On the opposite end of the spectrum from Smith's success story is that of defensive lineman Jachai Polite, who left following his 11-sack breakout season a year ago. Polite was a gifted junior but was obviously not ready to make a mark at the next level.

Following poor showings at the NFL Combine and UF's Pro Day, Polite slipped to the third round before the New York Jets selected him with the 68th overall pick. Polite barely had time to learn directions to New York's practice facility before the Jets told him goodbye in May. He is now a member of the Rams' practice squad, where he landed after the Seahawks released him from their practice squad.

"I like Jachai, and obviously I'm disappointed. I'm sad for him," Gators head coach Dan Mullen said earlier this season. "Everybody has dreams. You dream of making it to the NFL. Hopefully, a learning experience for him and a learning experience for other guys in the program."

With the Gators off this week, Mullen is using the time to meet with Florida's juniors and draft-eligible sophomores to help educate them and gauge their thoughts on the 2020 NFL Draft, which will be held in April in Paradise, Nev.

"We've been able to sit down and meet with a bunch of those guys about their future, about the process and get a jump start on that,'' he said Wednesday. "The big key to that, to me, is all we want is guys to make good decisions and have success with that. You know, so guys that are going to get drafted in the first or second round, that they know that, they feel good about it, this is what you need to do to maintain that draft status."

Five UF players left school early after Mullen's first season: Polite, offensive lineman Jawaan Taylor, linebacker Vosean Joseph, defensive back Chauncey Gardner-Johnson and running back Jordan Scarlett. All were drafted and Taylor, Jacksonville's starting right tackle, and Gardner-Johnson, a reserve for the Saints, have been regular contributors. Scarlett has played primarily on special teams for the Panthers.

Meanwhile, Polite and Joseph, the two players who arguably could have used more seasoning in college, have been non-factors. Joseph has been injured and inactive for the Bills.

Mullen's philosophy is like that of most college head coaches – if a player is likely a first-round pick or high second-rounder like Taylor, entering the draft is a smart move considering the minimum signing bonus of $5.4 million for first-round picks. Otherwise, returning to school to improve your prospects is the smart play.

Mullen's message to players as they consider their options is to get a complete picture.

"Make sure you're doing these things, get drafted and then you made a great decision to leave,'' Mullen said. "And educating guys that maybe shouldn't, say, 'Hey, these are reasons you should stay. Here's how it affects you. This is why this is what we see happening in the future for you.' It's just that they and their families are very educated to make the best decisions for their future."

Mullen said Wednesday that by his count, he will have serious discussions with probably around eight underclassmen who are likely to show considerable interest in acquiring information about their draft status.

Cornerbacks CJ Henderson and Marco Wilson and receiver Trevon Grimes are the UF underclassmen most often mentioned as potential candidates to leave early.

Mullen takes a teacher-student approach in the meetings. Ultimately, it's up to the players and their families.

"I think everybody has that dream,'' he said. "I meet with everybody that's eligible just to go through the whole process."