PFF projects 3 Gators to go in first 3 rounds of NFL Draft

As Pro Football Focus’ Gordon McGuinness noted, “With the NFL Scouting Combine set to begin next week, the 2026 NFL Draft season is about to kick into another gear.”

To get a jump on things, PFF this week revealed a pre-combine three-Round NFL Mock Draft. It includes three Gators: Defensive lineman Caleb Banks, center Jake Slaughter and cornerback Devin Moore. Here are the current draft projections for those players:

19. Carolina Panthers: DI Caleb Banks, Florida Gators

PFF WRITES: “Banks flashed at the Senior Bowl after returning to action for Florida late in the year due to injury. He has the size that NFL teams look for on the defensive interior, and he flashed both as a pass rusher and against the run in college, recording four sacks back in 2024.”

GATORS ONLINE NOTES: Banks recently turned heads at the Panini Senior Bowl with his performances in practice. He also recorded 1 tackle, 0.5 sacks and 0.5 tackles for loss in the game.

Over his three seasons at UF after transferring from Louisville, Banks recorded 46 total tackles, 9.5 tackles for loss, 5.5 sacks and 2 forced fumbles. He made preseason watch lists in 2025 for two prestigious awards — the Chuck Bednarik Award and the Bronko Nagurski Award. But he was slowed by a lower body injury and played in only three games.

62. Denver Broncos: C Jake Slaughter, Florida

GATORS ONLINE NOTES: Slaughter was a consensus All-American in 2024 and also earned more All-American honors in 2025, when he was first-team All-SEC. He started 33 games for the Florida Gators. Some consider him the best center prospect in the draft.

76. Pittsburgh Steelers (via Cowboys): CB Devin Moore, Florida

GATORS ONLINE NOTES: Moore made 17 starts over the past two seasons and arguably was UF’s top corner in 2025, when he recorded 35 tackles (23 solo), 2 interceptions and four pass breakups across 646 snaps.

All three players—Banks, Slaughter and Moore—earned invites to the 2026 NFL Scouting Combine, which takes place in Indianapolis from February 23-March 2. A total of nine UF players (of 319 overall) have received invites to the event. Full list HERE.