Florida Gators 2026 NFL Draft tracker live updates, best available and reactions

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Florida Gators 2026 NFL Draft tracker live updates, best available and reactions originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The Florida Gators football program will contribute a smaller number of prospects to NFL rosters in 2026. However, almost all of them will be concentrated in the first two days with one player sliding into day 3. 

The first four names are all trench players. Offensive line and defensive line. Later in the process, they will also see a CB and a WR come off the board. 

Florida in 2025 felt like a team in transition and that will bear itself out during the draft. Most players come off between rounds 2 and 3. However, DT Caleb Banks has been a mover, with some analysts believing he could go as early as the first round. 

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Florida Gators 2026 NFL Draft prospects (7)

NamePosHTWT40 RangePickTeamCaleb BanksDT6'63275.04Rd 1-218MINTyreak SappDE6'22734.76Rd 2-3Austin BarberOT6'73185.12Rd 2-486CLEGeorge Grumbs JrDE6'42454.66Rd 2-4156INDDevin MooreCB6'33034.50Rd 2-4114DALJake SlaughterC6'53035.10Rd 3-563LACJ. Michael SturdivantWR6'32074.40Rd 4-6

2026 NFL Draft: Florida Gators news

In the final mock draft from Field Yates and Mel Kiper, Caleb Banks is not selected in the first round. 

Caleb Banks Selected: The Minnesota Vikings select Florida DT Caleb Banks with the 18th overall pick.

Jake Slaughter Selected: The Los Angeles Chargers select Florida C Jake Slaughter with the 63rd pick in the second round.

Austin Barber Selected: The Cleveland Browns select Florida OT Austin Barber with the 86th pick in the third round.

Devin Moore Selected: The Dallas Cowboys select Florida CB Devin Moore with the 114th pick in the fourth round.

George Grumbs Jr. Selected: The Indianapolis Colts select Florida edge rusher George Grumbs Jr with the 156th pick in the fifth round. 

2026 NFL Draft: Florida reactions and impressions

Florida Gators defensive tackle Caleb Banks has a possibility of hearing his name called tonight, according to one Gators beat writer. Some mock drafts have him landing anywhere between the middle of the first round and late in the second.

Former Alabama coach and College Gameday analyst, Nick Saban, lists Gators center, Jake Slaughter, in his All-Star offensive lineup along with LT Spencer Fano, LG Kadyn Proctor, RG Olaivavega Ioane, and RT Francis Mauigoa to round out the offensive line.

Jake Slaughter is the next Gator up on ESPN's best available. No other Florida player had a mock projection within the first three rounds. 

Slaughter was the second center taken off the board in the second round the Chargers. He allowed just one sack in the 2025 season across 748 offensive snaps.

Make that two starting offensive linemen for the Florida Gators selected in the first three rounds, with Austin Barber headed to Cleveland with the 86th pick in the third round. Earned a 90.0 run-blocking grade according to Pro Football Focus, which ranks second amongst offensive tackles in the class.

Jake Slaughter in the second round and Austin Barber in the third were the only two Gators taken off the board on Friday night bring the total number of Florida players drafted to three.

Looking at who's left on the board out of Gainesville, edge rushers George Grumbs Jr. and Tyreak Sapp, CB Devin Moore, and WR J. Michael Sturdivant all remain and have been in several mock drafts projected between rounds four and seven. Place kicker Trey Smack and punter Tommy Doman are projected to go undrafted.

In four years for the Gators, Devin Moore was one of the most complete cornerbacks, totaling 64 tackles, 8 pass deflections, 5 interceptions, 1 sack, and 1 forced fumble. This is now the fourth defensive selection for the Dallas Cowboys in the 2026 NFL Draft and the second in the secondary alongside Caleb Downs.

George Grumbs Jr. becomes the fifth Gator selected in the draft with the Indianapolis Colts selection in the fifth round. Grumbs played two seasons at Florida after starting his collegiate career at Northern Illinois. He goes into the NFL having posted 100 total tackles, 11 sacks, 2 forced fumbles, and 2 pass deflections.

2026 NFL Draft How to Watch

The 2026 NFL draft kicks off at 8 p.m. ET on Thursday in Pittsburgh (ESPN, ABC and NFL Network-- available on Fubo), The Las Vegas Raiders will likely select Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza with the No. 1 overall pick. 

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