Sports

University of Florida (UF) Gators Football Players Included in 2010 NFL Draft – 9 Selected

Nine players from the University of Florida (UF) Gators football program participated in the 2010 NFL Draft that took place in April. The nine men who were coached by Florida head coach Urban Meyer before entering the NFL in 2010 are:

  • Joe Haden (cornerback) – No. 7 overall pick in the first round by the Cleveland Browns
  • Maurkice Pouncey (center) – Pittsburgh Steelers first-round pick with 18th overall pick
  • Tim Tebow (quarterback) – The Denver Broncos pick up the 25th pick in the draft in the first round.
  • Jermaine Cunningham (defensive end) – Selected by the New England Patriots in the second round as the 53rd player overall
  • Carlos Dunlap (defensive end): Selected in the second round by the Cincinnati Bengals with the 54th overall pick.
  • Brandon Spikes (linebacker) – New England Patriots pick with 62nd overall pick in second round.
  • Major Wright (safety) – Picked by the Chicago Bears with the 75th overall choice in the third round
  • Aaron Hernandez (tight end) – selected by the New England Patriots in the fourth round as the 113th player chosen
  • Riley Cooper (wide receiver) – Fifth round pick by Philadelphia Eagles as 159th overall pick

With nine selections, the University of Florida Gators had more players from their school in the 2010 NFL Draft than any other university. The next closest figure was seven players drawn from a single school, and that mark was reached by the University of Alabama, the University of Oklahoma and the University of Southern California in a three-way tie for second place. After the University of Florida and the University of Alabama, the Southeastern Conference (SEC) college with the third-most players selected in the 2010 NFL Draft was the LSU Tigers with six.

To break it down by selected round, the UF soccer program had:

  • Three first-round picks (Haden, Pouncey and Tebow)
  • Three second-round picks (Cunningham, Dunlap and Spikes)
  • A third round player taken (Wright)
  • A fourth-round pick (Hernández)
  • A fifth-round pick (Cooper)

In total, five defensive players and four offensive players were selected for seven different teams in the National Football League (NFL). Three Gators soccer players ended up on the same team with the New England Patriots. Defensive end Jermaine Cunningham, linebacker Brandon Spikes and tight end Aaron Hernandez are expected to rejoin as teammates for the Patriots team based in the Boston, Massachusetts area.

There is no question that Florida head coach Urban Meyer will follow the professional soccer careers of all of his former players. It is widely understood that both Meyer and UF fans in general will pay special attention to how quarterback Tim Tebow fares at the next level.

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