Florida Gators in the 2008 NFL Draft

The NFL draft begins tomorrow, and if you believe the folks at NFL.com, the only guys who are likely to be drafted from Florida are Derrick Harvey and Andre Caldwell.

That certainly says something, considering both guys could have gone in last year’s draft. GatorZone, the official Gators athletics web site, says only 12 Gators are even eligible for the draft, and three of them never played any significant time.

The NFL’s web site pares the list even further and only lists five Gators in its draft section: Harvey, Caldwell, Tony Joiner, Carlton Medder, and Drew Miller. The scouting reports for Joiner, Medder, and Miller seem to think that they’ll have a chance to get invited to training camps.

I can see Medder and Miller getting a shot if they want it, but not Joiner as much. He had a rough senior year on the field and has “character problem” written all over him. The moment he slips up at anything, he’s cut.

If there are only two Gators drafted, it would be the lowest count since the 1993 draft. That makes for great symmetry since last year, nine guys were drafted. That’s tied for highest Gator draft count ever with nine guys drafted in 1992, though four of the ‘92 draftees were taken in the 8th-12th rounds.

It’s really a testament to how deep the 2006 team was, and how thin the 2007 team was at the top.

It’s too early to speculate who would leave early to go in next year’s draft. Percy Harvin seems like the logical place to start, but who knows? If his heel never heals up right, he could end up in Gainesville for four years after all.

Just remember, the fact that only two Gators are going to be drafted tomorrow isn’t a knock on the program, since there are only five players worth mentioning who are in the draft anyway. It’s a sign that next year’s team could be back on top of the conference thanks to depth and experience.