Florida WR Van Jefferson drafted in second round by Rams

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Van Jefferson is the first Florida receiver to get drafted in the first three rounds in more than a decade.

The Los Angeles Rams selected Jefferson Friday with the 57th overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft. The last UF wideout to go in the second round was Chad Jackson in 2006.

Jefferson is the highest selected Gators WR since Percy Harvin, a first-round pick in 2009. In his two seasons at Florida, Jefferson caught 84 passes for 1,160 yards (13.8 avg.) and 12 touchdowns in 26 games played.

He scored six times both years, tying him with Solomon Patton (2013) for the third-highest season total by a Gator since 2009. The Ole Miss transfer finished his college career with 2,159 yards on 175 receptions (12.3 avg.) and 16 touchdowns.

In his final game, Jefferson set a new career-high with 129 receiving yards in Florida’s Orange Bowl win over Virginia. It marked the seventh-highest receiving yards by a UF wideout in a bowl game since 1996.

Following the Orange Bowl, Jefferson expressed gratitude for his time in Gainesville.

“Being here with Coach (Dan) Mullen, I just appreciate him giving me the opportunity to come and be a Gator,” Jefferson said. “He made us buy into what he was talking about. I believe that in the future the Gators are going to be a problem because he brought the ‘Gator Standard’ back and he's a great coach.

“Being at Ole Miss, I learned a lot of lessons, went through a lot of trials and tribulations there. But coming here, man, it kind of brought a joy back to my face, just being around the coaching staff and being around these guys. I made friendships that are going to last a lifetime. I can't thank the University enough and Coach Mullen enough for giving me this opportunity.”

Jefferson is the 40th Florida wide receiver drafted since 1967 and the 19th to go in one of the first three rounds.