NFL Combine: 9 Florida players land invites
The Florida Gators had nine players invited to the NFL Scouting Combine. Ahead of the 2023 NFL Draft, Florida only trailed Alabama and Georgia for most players invited within the SEC.
The list is headlined by quarterback Anthony Richardson. Richardson is a polarizing quarterback prospect among the others draft-eligible.
He flashed elite talent and Heisman Trophy potential but never put it all together for a full season. However, Richardson opted to go to the NFL rather than return to the Gators for one more season.
Richardson was one of nine Gators invited to the NFL Scouting Combine and there are other top prospects that could make an impact in the pros. Those include linebacker Ventrell Miller and wide receiver Justin Shorter.
Below is the full list of players from Florida invited to the NFL Scouting Combine.
Florida Gators players invited to NFL Scouting Combine
Brenton Cox, DL
Trey Dean, DB
Gervon Dexter, DL
Richard Gouraige, OL
Ventrell Miller, LB
Anthony Richardson, QB
Justin Shorter, WR
O’Cyrus Torrence, OL
Richardson finished his Florida career with 3,105 yards, 24 touchdowns, 15 interceptions, a 54.7% completion percentage, 1,116 rushing yards and 12 rushing touchdowns.
Shorter transferred from Penn State after the 2019 season. He finished his career with 110 catches, 1,552 yards, eight touchdowns and 14.1 yards per catch.
Miller was a machine in the latter stages of his career. He finished his time at Florida with 238 total tackles, 124 solo tackles, 23.5 tackles for loss, 7.5 sacks, one interception, seven pass deflections, two fumble recoveries, two forced fumbles and one defensive touchdown.
More on the 2023 NFL Draft
The 2023 NFL Draft is set to take place from Thursday, April 27 through Saturday, April 29 in Kansas City, Missouri. The event is located at the plaza just outside of Union Station.
Round 1 of the NFL Draft will begin 8 p.m. ET on Thursday, Apr. 27. Rounds 2-3 will begin at 7 p.m. ET on Friday, Apr. 28, and Rounds 4-7 will begin at 12 p.m. ET on Saturday, Apr. 29. The draft is broadcasted throughout the weekend on both ESPN and NFL Network.
To be eligible for the NFL Draft, players must be at least three years removed from their final year of high school while having used up their collegiate eligibility. Underclassmen are able to request league approval to become eligible for the draft, as are players who have graduated prior to using up all of their collegiate eligibility. 100 underclassman were approved for last year’s draft. 73 of those 100 underclassmen were granted special eligibility while 27 of them were underclassmen who had completed their college degrees.
The 2023 NFL scouting combine will take place from Feb. 28 through March 6 in Indianapolis.