Roundtable: Most underrated Gators draftee; TJ Shanahan; UF's draft class

Brought to you by JFQ Lending, GatorsTerritory dishes out another roundtable discussion from our team of writers.

We share our choice for Florida's most underrated draft prospect, discuss the Gators' chances with 2023 offensive lineman TJ Shanahan and predict the amount of UF players selected in the NFL Draft.

Bender: While Slaton doesn't get the credit he deserves, I still believe wide receiver Trevon Grimes is the most overlooked player in UF's draft class. The former five-star prospects boasts an intriguing combination of size, speed and fluidity and is nowhere near a finished a product.

When dissecting Grimes' film, the one part of his game that grasps my attention is his ability to high-point the ball. He does a good job of timing his jump and taking full advantage of his size advantage over most defensive backs. His game really started to take full form during the second half of last season, so when you combine his size and speed with the amount of potential he still has, it's not difficult to understand why I chose him for this topic. He will provide great value on day three of the NFL Draft.

Clarke: I do think that TJ Slaton is a bit underrated but don’t think he’s the most overlooked draft prospect for the Gators. I would have to go with Stone Forsythe for that designation. He is a player who had an excellent year but hasn’t really been talked about very much. He’s not going to blow teams away with testing and athleticism, but he does his job and does it well.

There were rumors floating around that some teams liked him enough to take him on day two, but most of what I have seen has been around the fourth and fifth rounds. I definitely believe he could have been taken in the late second or early third because he’s just a solid player who does his job well.

Bender: If I answered this question a month ago, my answer would have been yes, but my gut tells me Shanahan will be heading out-of-state for college; however, it's extremely close for me and that is why we thought this would be a great topic to discuss.

Keep an eye on Ohio State. That is a school Shanahan wants to visit multiple times over the summer, while several staff members in Columbus are already heavily involved as well, including head coach Ryan Day. His father played for the Arizona Wildcats and there is strong interest in several additional Pac-12 schools too, including USC, Oregon and Stanford. Miami, LSU and Alabama are also expected to receive summer visits.

To be honest, I'm pretty torn on Shanahan's recruitment. Florida was his first major offer and there is no doubt he has strong interest in the program. John Hevesy is pushing all the right buttons early on, while Shanahan's cousin is NFL free agent and former UF offensive lineman, Jon Halapio. I'm leaning toward Shanahan leaving the Sunshine State for college, but UF checks off a number of boxes as well. This one will be close.

Clarke: Although Florida has struggled to land blue-chip offensive line prospects in the past, I do think they will be able to seal the deal with TJ. They were the first Power Five program to offer over a year ago and continue to make him a priority, as conversations with Dan Mullen and John Hevesy are constantly taking place.

Shanahan also lives just two hours away from Gainesville and said he has several UF posters in his room. He also has a family connection to Florida with his cousin being former Gators offensive lineman, Jon Halapio. I just think there are too many factors working in the Gators’ favor, and that’s why I expect TJ to sign with Florida.

Bender: Three are already off the board, as Kyle Pitts, Kadarius Toney and Kyle Trask were selected during the first three rounds, as expected. Offensive tackle Stone Forsythe is a lock to be selected before the day is over, while wide receiver Trevon Grimes and defensive tackle TJ Slaton are expected to hear their names called today as well. That puts the number at six, but after manfacturing an eye-opening pro day performance, you also keep close tabs on cornerback Marco Wilson.

With that being said, I envision seven UF players being drafted when it's all said and done. Safety Shawn Davis is a possible late pick as well, but him not being able to finish his pro day certainly put a dent into those projections.

Clarke: I think the Gators will have 8-9 players selected in the draft. Obviously, the big three of Kyle Pitts, Kyle Trask and Kadarius Toney were selected in the first three rounds, but I think Florida had a couple of guys help themselves at pro day, while some others didn’t improve their chances of being selected.

Trevon Grimes, Marco Wilson, Brett Heggie, TJ Slaton and Stone Forsythe are all guys who I think get drafted, with Wilson being one of those players who really helped his draft stock at the Florida Pro Day. I’m still up in the air on Shawn Davis because his tape is inconsistent and he wasn’t able to complete his pro day, but I still think there is a possibility he gets drafted late.