Florida football had 10 former players eligible for the 2023 NFL draft, in which six ex-Gators were selected. Among that handful of UF alumni, six were selected in the seven rounds of the draft, leaving four as undrafted free agents.
One of the members of the Orange and Blue who did not hear his name called at the end of April was safety [autotag]Trey Dean III[/autotag], who signed a contract with the New York Jets following the festivities as an undrafted free agent. Now, according to Fannation’s recent article covering the UDFAs who are most likely to make an NFL roster, the five-year letterman made the cut for the green team in the Big Apple.
Dean was a five-year producer at an SEC school and the versatile safety may be the quintessential diamond in the rough at a position of need. The Jets did not re-sign FS Lamarcus Joyner, vacating a spot in the room. The 6’2″ Dean, who can play both safety roles, carried a sixth-round grade, but went undrafted likely due to a 4.75-second 40-yard dash time. Despite the disappointing 40, Dean impressed in other areas of the pre draft testing process. He topped all safeties at the Combine in the 225-pound bench press (25 reps) after snagging an interception during the East West Shrine Bowl game.
Dean won the 2023 East-West Shrine Bowl Defensive MVP award but saw his draft stock take a hit as a result of his 40-yard dash time during the NFL scouting combine. His 4.75-second performance ranked last out of 18 safety prospects participating in the event.
Despite being a few steps slow on the track, Dean proved his mettle his by leading the safeties with 25 reps on the 225-pound bench press. Apparently, the Jets apparently saw something to work with in his talents and signed him to a rookie deal that features $100,000 in guaranteed money — including a $10,000 signing bonus.
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