Young student-athletes have long been attracted to Florida’s football program in large part due to its ability to develop raw talent into professional-level skills. Even before the arrival of the legendary Steve Spurrier on the Swamp’s sidelines in 1990, the Gators were known as a school that put its share of players into the NFL.
Among those positions is at tight end, where the Orange and Blue has stood out over the past couple of decades. Most recently, Kyle Pitts became the highest-drafted tight end ever in 2021 when the Atlanta Falcons selected him with the fourth overall pick.
ESPN’s David Hale published his “Position U” rankings in which he surveyed the collegiate football landscape for the best programs for players to flourish. Florida earned a spot at most of the positions including tight end, where they rank fifth overall when it comes to producing pro-level players.
This ranking comes despite the long gap between Pitts and the previous Gators tight end taken in the draft Jordan Reed, who was a third-round selection (85th overall) by the Washington Commanders in 2013. Prior to that, Aaron Hernandez was a fourth-round pick (114th overall) by the New England Patriots in 2010 and Cornelius Ingram was snagged in the fifth round (153rd overall) by the Philadelphia Eagles in 2009.
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