Gators Going Pro: Who will be selected in the 2019 NFL Draft, and when?

While the University of Alabama is well-known as the premier school to produce NFL Draft prospects on a yearly basis, the University of Florida's football team has steadily put a ton of talent onto NFL rosters over the past few years.

In 2018, the Gators heard five former football stars get their names called during the three-day NFL Draft, with defensive tackle Taven Bryan leading the pack as a first round pick, selected by the Jacksonville Jaguars with the 29th overall selection. Cornerback Duke Dawson (2nd round - Patriots), wide receiver Antonio Callaway (4th - Browns), punter Johnny Townsend (5th - Raiders), and Marcell Harris (6th - 49ers). All in all, 20 former Florida Gators have been selected in the past three NFL Drafts.

The trend of multiple former Gators-turned-draft picks is expected to continue in 2019. One huge winner in the draft process has been former Gators right tackle Jawaan Taylor, who started for three straight seasons in orange-and-blue. Taylor's stock has skyrocketed since he declared for the draft, and is now considered a first round lock.

Let's take a look at all of the former Florida Gators prospects who have a real shot at getting drafted next week, when they will likely hear their names called, and which teams are a good fit for each player.

As noted above, Jawaan Taylor has earned himself millions of dollars throughout the draft process. When he originally declared for the NFL Draft, he was widely viewed as a Day 2 prospect with only one great season of college football under his belt.

However, it's hard for teams to not drool over the improvements Taylor made to his game in 2018 compared to years past, as well as his intangibles. He possesses ideal frame at 6-5, 312, and has consistently shown the ability to fluctuate his weight, which NFL teams will utilize if necessary. He played at 328 lbs in his 2018 season at UF, losing 16 lbs for the NFL Combine, and earned his original scholarship to Florida after losing nearly 50 lbs in his senior year in high school after playing overweight.

His length is also an eye-catcher, with 35 1/8" arms - a number that ranks in the 80th percentile among NFL offensive tackles charted on MockDraftable.com. That length gives Taylor natural leverage vs. NFL pass rushers, in order to get his hands inside to stall defenders as they try to rush the passer.

Taylor is now considered a first round lock, and is often subject to being selected by the Jacksonville Jaguars in various mock drafts at 7th overall. He could also be selected by the New York Giants (6th overall), Buffalo Bills (9th overall), Atlanta Falcons (14th overall), Carolina Panthers (16th overall), and Houston Texans (23rd overall), as all of these teams are in need of improvement on their starting offensive line.

Versatile defensive back Chauncey Gardner-Johnson was another winner in the draft process this year, with a strong end to his 2018 season recording two interceptions - including one pick-six - in the Peach Bowl victory over the University of Michigan.

His immense growth as both a safety and nickel defender in 2018 has earned him top-defensive back talk for his versatility and ball-hawk skillset. With the NFL's new wave of pass-happy offenses, Gardner-Johnson's nine career interceptions and 12 defended passes are telling to his range and foreshadow a solid transition to the next level.

The 2019 safety class is strong, and Gardner-Johnson has some competition to be the first name called of the group in the late first/early second round range. Teams like the Seattle Seahawks (21st overall), Philadelphia Eagles (25th overall), Green Bay Packers (30th overall), and San Francisco 49ers (36th overall) could all be suitors for Gardner-Johnson's services.

Yikes...

In January, Jachai Polite was viewed as a first round, and potentially even a top-15, lock. His pass-rushing burst and bend skills have been considered some of the best in a class filled with premier edge rushers, and his production at Florida backs that up: 15 sacks, 28.5 tackles for loss, and eight forced fumbles in his three year career, with 11 sacks, 19.5 tackles for loss, and six forced fumbles coming in 2018 in his first year as a full-time starter.

But immediately following the NFL Combine, Polite's draft stock plummeted. Reports broke of Polite posting poor private interviews with teams, and Polite went on to publicly state that all teams did was bash him in those interviews. All of this on top of a poor performance in all athletic drills.

His Pro Day did Polite no favors either. He re-ran his 40 yard dash, but recorded an even worse result of 5.04 seconds. It appeared Polite pulled up a bit in his run, due to a hamstring injury that sidelined him from finishing his testing at the Combine, but the nagging injury is yet another red flag for a prospect considered to have several at this point in the draft process.

While many analysts believe Polite could fall late into Day 3 of the draft, it'd be surprising if a team didn't take a chance on the immense talent noticeable on tape when it comes to Polite. Compensatory picks, which teams who lost marque players to free agency a year ago receive, begin in the late third round. That's where Polite has a real chance of getting selected, and teams such as Washington (97th overall), the New England Patriots (98th and 102nd overall), and Carolina Panthers (101st overall) could take a chance on the pass rusher.

Linebacker Vosean Joseph is certainly undersized compared to the traditional NFL linebacker, and with few athletic testing results under his belt during the draft process due to a hamstring injury he suffered while training, teams may shy away from drafting him until Day 3.

However, Joseph's skill-set on tape makes him appealing as a sub-linebacker who provides range to play zone passing defense as well as solid athleticism to shoot gaps vs. the run. While he moved around the Gators linebacker corps. at some points, his size and play-style translates best to weak-side linebacker in a 4-3 defense at the NFL level where he can play off the ball and in coverage.

With needs on all three levels of their defense, the Arizona Cardinals could kick off the 5th round by selecting Joseph at 140th overall. The Detroit Lions (147th overall) could pair Joseph with former Gators linebacker Jarrad Davis as well.

Martez Ivey's career as a Gator didn't pan out as well as most fans and analysts alike expected it to. The four year, 44-game starter (out of 48) made a position change from left guard to left tackle in his junior season, and while he played his best ball at tackle as a senior, he never quite lived up to his 5-star expectations set as a starting true freshman.

However, like his former teammate Jawaan Taylor, Ivey's size profile is exactly what NFL teams are looking for. He measures similarly to Taylor in terms of height and weight at 6-5, 315, but his length truly stands out. Ivey's 36 1/4" arms ranks in the 97th percentile among NFL offensive tackles, and his 86 1/4 inch wingspan comes in the 98th.

Considering his size, positional versatility (21 starts at left tackle, 27 at left guard), lack of injury history, and accolades against SEC talent (2nd team All-SEC from 2016-2018)... NFL teams always take chances on players like Ivey. His on-field development will be a must in order for him to make it in the NFL, but it'd honestly be surprising to see Martez Ivey go undrafted considering his résumé.

The Los Angeles Rams, Cleveland Browns, Chicago Bears, and Jacksonville Jaguars are all teams who could be looking to develop a swing tackle in the 6th/7th rounds of the draft, and Martez Ivey should fall right into that range.

There are red flags sticking up on running back Jordan Scarlett's draft profile as well, including his arrest for possession of marijuana in 2015 and being involved in the well-known credit card fraud case that led to Scarlett and several other player's suspensions in 2017.

When Scarlett has been on the field, however, he's been a productive player despite often sharing snaps at running back. In three seasons, Scarlett has recorded 1846 yards on 344 carries (5.4 yards per carry) and 12 touchdowns. At the NFL Combine, Scarlett posted a flashy 4.47 40 yard dash.

His off-field concerns and lack of usage will scare teams away from drafting the running back before late in the draft, if at all. But perhaps a team with multiple 7th round picks like the Buffalo Bills, Detroit Lions, New England Patriots, Arizona Cardinals, or Miami Dolphins will take a flier on Scarlett.

All stats via Sports-Reference.com, unless otherwise noted.