As things currently stand, there are 42 former Florida Gators football players on NFL rosters.
From proven, long-time veterans such as Cincinnati Bengals defensive end Carlos Dunlap, to ascending New Orleans Saints linebacker Alex Anzalone, to the Jacksonville Jaguars 2019 2nd round pick offensive tackle Jawaan Taylor, and even 2019 undrafted free agent offensive guard Fred Johnson of the Pittsburgh Steelers: Orange and blue is represented league wide.
With all that being said, which former Gator is poised for a breakout year? Leaving proven players such as Dunlap, Steelers cornerback Joe Haden and center Maurkice Pouncey, and so on aside, there's plenty of former Gators ready to make their mark in professional football in 2019 and beyond.
Who do you got?
I'm going to go with Jaguars defensive tackle and 2018 1st round draft pick Taven Bryan. Bryan was selected with the 29th pick, and the team brought him in with a long-term vision of moving to defensive end and becoming the heir to Calais Campbell.
There were flashes of Bryan's traits in training camp:
However, when the season came around, Bryan made minimal impact at defensive end. He looked lost on the majority of his snaps at defensive end to begin the year. Through Week 11, Bryan played 126 snaps outside compared to a mere six snaps at defensive tackle, per Pro Football Focus.
Through those 10 games, Bryan recorded six total QB pressures and four "stops": A statistic that PFF considers a failed play by the offense. He had no sacks and only one tackle for loss in that span.
At Florida's Pro Day in 2018, Bryan told me that he had only ever played defensive tackle, mainly three technique:
Playing outside just wasn't natural to him. That wasn't his fault, and seeing him out of position made judging his play a bit unfair. However, the Jaguars finally realized that he was best suited at defensive tackle, and he began to move back inside.
Through the remaining six games, Bryan played 86 snaps at defensive tackle, and 62 at defensive end. Since he had trained all season at defensive end, it made sense to still play a bit outside through the end of the year, but Bryan flourished on his inside snaps.
From Week 12 through the rest of the year, PFF has Bryan down for six QB pressures, as many in six games as he had in his first 10, two sacks and eight "stops". Significant improvement on the stat sheet, and on tape as well:
Considering the positive flashes that came following his transition back to his natural position, I'm expecting Taven Bryan to have a breakout year on the Jaguars defense.
The Jaguars appear confident in a jump from the former Gator as well. The team released starting 3-technique Malik Jackson after three seasons with the team, a span in which he was one of the most disruptive pass rushing defensive tackles in the NFL.
Jackson recorded 171 QB pressures, 18 sacks, and 78 "stops" with Jacksonville, however he accounted for $15 million against the Jaguars cap table in 2019, and the team chose to get out of that deal with confidence that Bryan could fill the role.
Now, it's hard to expect Bryan to meet the production Jackson posted, as he truly has been one of the best interior pass rushers in the NFL over the past three years. However, the traits are there with Bryan, and he appears ready to make the jump now that he's back in his natural position.
That's why Taven Bryan is my "breakout" Gator in the NFL this year. Who's yours?
