Category: Gators in NFL

Former Gators WR Van Jefferson joins another UF alumnus after trade

Former Gators WR Van Jefferson gets traded to the Atlanta Falcons

A former Florida Gators wide receiver found a new home in the NFL after being traded from the Los Angeles Rams. Atlanta Falcons newcomer Van Jefferson will reunite him with another former Gator, tight end Kyle Pitts.

Jefferson became lost in the depth chart this season with the rise of Los Angeles wideout Puka Nacua and the recent return of starting receiver Cooper Kupp.

Since the combination of the two looks like a formula for success, Jefferson only saw two snaps during Sunday’s loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. The fourth-year NFL veteran has only been targeted 15 times in 2023.

Jefferson wasn’t a priority in the Rams playbook, but he may have a bright future to headline the Falcons’ receiving corps with Pitts.

Atlanta found a way to get Pitts more involved in the offense last Sunday and rookie running back Bijan Robinson has been dangerous so far. The Falcons are slowly building pieces to create a fast-paced offense, especially with mobile quarterback Desmond Ridder.

Pitts and Jefferson will play together for the first time since the 2019 college football season.

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Winners and Losers: Week 5 roundup of Florida Gators in the NFL

Take a look at how former Florida Gators played in the NFL, including an overdue performance from Atlanta Falcons tight end Kyle Pitts.

There are 29 active NFL players who attended the University of Florida and 24 of them have a starting job this season.

Week 5 saw a lot of success and letdowns from Gators across the league, including Atlanta Falcons tight end Kyle Pitts and speedy Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Kadarius Toney.

Quarterback Anthony Richardson has been having trouble staying on the field with the Indianapolis Colts, getting injured for the third time in four starts. Meanwhile, down in Tampa Bay, quarterback Kyle Trask is learning and sitting behind Baker Mayfield.

There were plenty of individual winners and losers in the NFL last week, but let’s take a look at the best and worst performances of Florida Gators in the NFL.

Anthony Richardson scores twice before sustaining injury

Former Gators QB Anthony Richardson suffered a concussion in Sunday’s matchup with the Houston Texans, but not before scoring two rushing touchdowns.

There are many Florida Gators shining in the National Football League and most eyes have been drawn to former Florida quarterback and current Indianapolis Colt [autotag]Anthony Richardson[/autotag].

He played well in his NFL debut against the Jacksonville Jaguars, recording a rushing and passing touchdown on top of completing 64% of his passes for 223 yards.

Richardson followed up the performance with solid play in the first half of week two against the Houston Texans, scoring two touchdowns with his legs and connecting with his receivers for 56 yards. AR has been stellar while using his legs but his mobility is leading to him taking a lot of big hits.

The Gainesville, Florida, native took a hard shot last week in the fourth quarter and had to depart early. Unfortunately, Richardson took another big shot this week while scoring his second touchdown, this time hitting his head on the turf.

Richardson entered concussion protocol and his availability for week three is being put into question. The Colts are set to face the Baltimore Ravens.

If Richardson doesn’t pass the concussion protocol, backup quarterback Gardner Minshew is slated to take over the offense.

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Anthony Richardson impresses in NFL debut, Colts still fall to Jags

Anthony Richardson traded in his Orange and Blue jersey to join the Indianapolis Colts. The 2023 No. 4 overall pick shined in his debut.

Former Florida quarterback and current Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson made his NFL debut on Sunday for the Indianapolis Colts.

Richardson, a 13-game starter for the Gators, completed 24 of 37 pass attempts for 223 yards and one touchdown in a 31-21 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars. He also rushed for 40 yards on 10 carries and found the end zone with his feet. Richardson went down in the final minutes with an apparent injury, but he and Colts head coach Shane Steichen didn’t seem too concerned after the game.

“I’m all right,” Richardson said. “More so hurt that we lost than my knee, but other than that, I’m good. I’ve just got to get to the drawing board and focus on next week.”

The Colts and Richardson both landed in USA TODAY Sports’ winners’ column following Week 1 action, and the latter led all fantasy quarterbacks in the early window on Sunday.

Although many expected Richardson to be a project quarterback in the NFL — Florida fans included — he’s proving to be a capable signal caller early. One week doesn’t cement things in stone, but the doubters are likely combing through their social media pages and deleting anything unsavory at this point.

There’s still a whole career to go, but Richardson made Gator Nation proud in his debut.

PHOTOS: Highlights from Anthony Richardson’s first regular-season start

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PHOTOS: Highlights from Anthony Richardson’s first regular-season start

The Colts may have lost but Richardson showed why he was selected so high in April’s draft.

Former Florida football star quarterback and Gainesville native Anthony Richardson got his first career regular-season start in the National Football League on Sunday for the Indianapolis Colts against the Jacksonville Jaguars. The fourth-overall pick in the 2023 NFL draft certainly showed some flaws but did not disappoint despite his team taking the 31-21 loss.

The 21-year-old rookie completed 24 of 37 pass attempts for 223 yards for a touchdown and an interception — good enough for a pedestrian 79.0 passer rating — while being sacked four times. Richardson took a majority of the snaps for the Colts in the defeat with backup Garden Minshew getting in a few as well.

The UF alumnus also ran 10 times for 40 yards and a touchdown, with his longest run stretching across 12 yards. Unfortunately for the Colts, he led the team in yardage despite three fewer carries than running back Deion Johnson.

Take a look below at a handful of photo highlights from Gators hometown hero Anthony Richardson in his first-ever official NFL game.

Former Gator named a ‘loser’ of NFL season opener

The football world was locked in on the season opener between the Detroit Lions and Kansas City Chiefs Thursday and Kadarius Toney did not impress.

The college football season started last week, and now the professionals are beginning to take the field.

On Thursday night, the Detroit Lions defeated the reigning Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs, 21-20, to kick off the 2023 NFL season. A pair of former Gators, linebacker Alex Anzalone and nickel Chauncey Gardner-Johnson, enjoyed the win and celebrated with a Gator chomp, but former UF wide receiver [autotag]Kadarius Toney[/autotag] had a night to forget.

Patrick Mahomes, a two-time MVP, targeted Toney five times in the loss. Toney only pulled in one reception for one yard, dropping the ball twice in the process.

Drops were a problem for the Chiefs all night, but Toney’s seem to come at the worst possible moments. To rub salt in the wound, Kansas City was down its top option in the passing game, tight end Travis Kelce. Toney drew ire from fans on social media and appeared visibly upset with himself as the game continued.

For those reasons, Kansas City’s young receiving corps (including Skyy Moore) are losers this week, according to USA TODAY Sports. The narrative surrounding Toney right now isn’t positive, and he’ll need a breakout game to win some favor back with the fans.

That includes Gators fans.

The Chiefs face the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday, Sept. 17, at 1:00 p.m. EDT.

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Anthony Richardson part of what might be the best QB class in NFL history

Richardson is in the back of the pack but this could be one of the best quarterback classes the AFC has ever fielded.

The 2023 American Football Conference quarterback class appears to be one for the ages ahead of the start of the upcoming regular-season schedule.

While Aaron Rogers enters his age-39 campaign with the New York Jets, he is merely an outlier among the youthful talent currently residing in the AFC. The conference currently boasts star signal-callers such as Kansas City Chiefs‘ Patrick Mahomes (27 years old), Buffalo Bills‘ Josh Allen (27), Baltimore Ravens‘ Lamar Jackson (26), Cincinnati Bengals‘ Joe Burrow (26), Los Angeles Chargers‘ Justin Herbert (25) and Jacksonville Jaguars‘ Trevor Lawrence (23).

Toss in Cleveland Browns‘ Deshaun Watson (27) and Miami Dolphins‘ Tua Tagovailoa (25), plus Denver Broncos’ Russell Wilson, and you have the makings of an exciting quarterback class. In fact, the talent level for the coming season is potentially the best the National Football League has ever seen.

Sports Illustrated’s Matt Verderame published his rankings for the AFC quarterback class, which includes former Florida Gator Anthony Richardson, who was taken with the fourth overall pick in the NFL draft back in April by the Indianapolis Colts and earned the starting regular-season job during the preseason.

Verderame ranked Richardson at No. 15 out of 16 total passers, which is less of an indictment of the 21-year-old rookie and more of an indicator of how high the level of talent really is in the AFC.

While Richardson didn’t complete more than 56% of his throws in high school or college, his athletic profile and pocket skills are evident. He also has a massive right arm. Look for Steichen to get the best out of him in the ways he did with Herbert and Hurts.

The NFL kicks off its 104th season on Thursday night, Sept. 7, in Kansas City, Missouri, with the league’s annual primetime kickoff game. The defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs will host the Detroit Lions at Arrowhead Stadium with a start time of 8:20 p.m. EDT and can be watched on NBC Sports.

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CBS Sports: ‘Anthony Richardson is who we thought he was’

The sports media has come away impressed with Anthony Richardson’s body of work in the NFL preseason.

Three and a half weeks of preseason action are officially in the books as the National Football League wraps up its exhibition season. Two weekends from now, the games will start counting toward each franchise’s final record as the 32-team league battles for the Lombardi Trophy.

CBS Sports’ Cody Benjamin published his top 10 things he has learned from the NFL preseason action on Monday, which included a promising young former Gators quarterback in [autotag]Anthony Richardson[/autotag]. The über-athletic passer was taken with the fourth pick overall in the 2023 draft and has assumed the starting role with the Indianapolis Colts.

Take a look at what Benjamin had to offer on Richardson, who he noted was “who we thought he was.”

This is neither an acquittal nor an indictment of the Colts’ rookie QB, to be clear. Ever since his rise up the draft boards, the talk has been the same: he’s an athletic freak who needs a lot of polish. And that was crystal clear in the preseason, where the Florida product showcased both a wildly erratic and superpowered arm while doing most of his work on the ground. One thing’s for certain: good, bad or somewhere in between, Indianapolis is in for an entertaining year under center.

The NFL kicks off its 104th season on Thursday night, Sept. 7, in Kansas City, Missouri, with the league’s annual primetime kickoff game. The defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs will host the Detroit Lions at Arrowhead Stadium with a start time of 8:20 p.m. EDT and can be watched on NBC Sports.

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Anthony Richardson, rookie QBs among USA TODAY Sports NFL preseason winners

He is still showing some of his flaws we saw in Gainesville, but the former Florida QB emerged from the NFL preseason as a winner.

The National Football League’s preseason schedule wrapped up last weekend after four weeks of grueling gridiron grind as teams prepare for their 17-game regular season starting in September. While everyone gets a breather this upcoming weekend before the opening kickoff, players, fans, fantasy owners and the sports media can take one last intake of summer respite before the marathon truly begins.

USA TODAY Sports’ Nate Davis published his final NFL preseason winners and losers article on Monday, which included a former Florida Gator among the “winners”. Quarterback [autotag]Anthony Richardson[/autotag], who was selected fourth overall in the 2023 NFL draft by the Indianapolis Colts, was among those who earned a positive mention.

The Indianapolis Colts’ Anthony Richardson continued to display the dual-threat athleticism that got him drafted fourth… and the accuracy issues that dogged him at Florida. He flashed again Thursday, but you’d really feel better if he had RB Jonathan Taylor were around to take heat off the rookie.

The NFL kicks off its 104th season on Thursday night, Sept. 7, in Kansas City, Missouri, with the league’s annual primetime kickoff game. The defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs will host the Detroit Lions at Arrowhead Stadium with a start time of 8:20 p.m. EDT and can be watched on NBC Sports.

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How are Florida’s 2023 NFL draftees doing in training camp?

Six Florida Gators heard their names called over the three days of the 2023 NFL draft, and ESPN has updates on each of them from fall camp.

Six Florida Gators came off the board over the three days, seven rounds and 259 picks of the 2023 NFL draft in April, and they are set to begin their pro careers in just under two weeks.

With preseason training camps wrapping up across the country, ESPN’s NFL Nation reporters put together a compilation of notes on every player selected in the draft. Some are proving worth every bit of the gamble taken on them in April. Others are looking like possible busts already.

So far, Florida’s draftees have lived up to expectations and then some. Here’s how the preseason is going for Anthony Richardson, Gervon Dexter, O’Cyrus Torrence, Ventrell Miller, Justin Shorter and Amari Burney.