Tag: Ventrell Miller

Jaguars 2023 draft: Projected contract for each Jacksonville pick

The contract for each player picked by the Jaguars in the 2023 NFL draft has largely been predetermined by the CBA.

The Jacksonville Jaguars reportedly reached an agreement on a four-year deal with sixth-round wide receiver Parker Washington on Thursday, but that still leaves another 12 draft picks to sign.

While that may sound like a costly endeavor, the total cost of the signings shouldn’t be much. The collective sum of the 2023 cap hits for the Jaguars’ picks will exceed 10 million, but the NFL only requires teams to fit their top 51 contracts under the salary cap (as fitting 90 under the cap in the offseason would be unrealistic).

With a rookie wage scale in place and the Jaguars not picking in the top 10 for the first time in a while, the total cost of a baker’s dozen of rookie contracts isn’t much.

Here are what the 13 draftees are likely to get when they finalize their deals with the Jaguars:

Introducing the Jacksonville Jaguars’ 2023 NFL Draft class

Get to know the 13 players drafted by the Jaguars this year.

The 2023 NFL draft is in the books and the Jacksonville Jaguars added their biggest class ever.

With 13 players — 10 of which came on Day 3 — the Jaguars have a ton of rookies competing for spots on a mostly intact roster that won the AFC South in 2022.

While experts largely predicted that the Jaguars would target defensive backs and pass rushers early, the team instead spent its first three picks on offensive players.

Here’s the baker’s dozen of draftees and links to learn more about each of them:

New York Jets sign S Trey Dean III as UDFA

Trey Dean III might not have heard his name called during the draft, but he quickly signed a free-agent deal with the New York Jets to start his pro career.

The New York Jets are taking a chance on longtime Florida safety [autotag]Trey Dean III[/autotag] as an undrafted free agent signing.

Dean’s five years with the Gators featured plenty of ups and downs, but he leaves the program with 259 total tackles (141 solo), 24 pass deflections, 13.5 tackles for loss, five sacks, four interceptions and a forced fumble.

During UF’s pro day, Dean explained that he’d been dealing with labral hip tears that would require surgery. Plenty of teams still met with Dean leading up to the draft, but it looks like no one was willing to risk a pick on a player with healthy concerns heading into the offseason.

It might take some development to turn Dean into an NFL-caliber player, but he’s a dynamic defensive back that hits hard and tackles better than most fans give him credit for.

Dean is the second Gator to sign as an undrafted free agent following [autotag]Richard Gouraige[/autotag] to the Bills. Six former Florida football players heard their names called during the draft.

The Indianapolis Colts selected quarterback [autotag]Anthony Richardson[/autotag] with the fourth overall pick. Defensive lineman [autotag]Gervon Dexter Sr[/autotag]. (Chicago) and Torrence came off the board in the second round. Linebackers [autotag]Ventrell Miller[/autotag] (Jacksonville) and [autotag]Amari Burney[/autotag] (Las Vegas) went in the fourth and sixth rounds, respectively.

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Former Florida safety Rashad Torrence II signed as UDFA by Rams

The Los Angeles Rams are bringing in former Florida safety Rashad Torrence II as an undrafted free agent.

The Los Angeles Rams wasted little time reaching out and signing former Florida safety [autotag]Rashad Torrence II[/autotag] following the conclusion of the 2023 NFL draft.

Torrence made 25 starts over the final two seasons of his Florida career and leaves Gainesville with 196 total tackles (111 solo), six pass deflections and three interceptions. He’s likely to play as a free safety in the NFL and put up decent coverage numbers throughout 2022, according to Pro Football Focus.

A member of the high school class of 2020, Torrence spent just three years at Florida and declared as an underclassman. Although his 40-yard dash time isn’t as high as many scouts would like, he’s a young, moldable piece that the Rams could use as depth in the secondary until he matures.

Torrence is the third Gator to sign as an undrafted free agent following Richard Gouraige to the Bills and Trey Dean III to the Jets. Six former Florida football players heard their names called during the draft.

Indianapolis Colts selected quarterback [autotag]Anthony Richardson[/autotag] with the fourth overall pick. Defensive lineman [autotag]Gervon Dexter Sr[/autotag]. (Chicago) and Torrence came off the board in the second round. Linebackers [autotag]Ventrell Miller[/autotag] (Jacksonville) and [autotag]Amari Burney[/autotag] (Las Vegas) went in the fourth and sixth rounds, respectively.

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Buffalo Bills sign Florida OT Richard Gouraige as UDFA

The Buffalo Bills like bringing in former Florida Gators, and offensive tackle Richard Gouraige is the latest to join the team as an undrafted free agent.

After the draft concluded on Sunday, undrafted players were free to sign with NFL teams, and former Florida offensive tackle [autotag]Richard Gouraige[/autotag] agreed to terms with the Buffalo Bills.

Gouraige will join one of his fellow former Florida offensive linemen in Buffalo as the Bills drafted offensive guard [autotag]O’Cyrus Torrence[/autotag] in the second round. They also picked wide receiver [autotag]Justin Shorter[/autotag] in the fifth round and have cornerback [autotag]Kaiir Elam[/autotag] from the 2022 draft.

The Bills seem to prefer bringing in former Gators, and Gouraige was signed within an hour of the draft wrapping up. There’s no guarantee he makes the team next season, but it’s a good sign that the Bills were so quick to bring him in.

He spent five years with Florida, starting 42 games for the Gators, mostly at left tackle. He could end up moving back to the interior in the pros, which makes sense given his high run-blocking grades.

Gouraige was the first undrafted free agent off the board for Florida after six selections in the 2023 draft.

The Indianapolis Colts selected quarterback [autotag]Anthony Richardson[/autotag] with the fourth overall pick. Defensive lineman [autotag]Gervon Dexter Sr[/autotag]. (Chicago) and Torrence came off the board in the second round. Linebackers [autotag]Ventrell Miller[/autotag] (Jacksonville) and [autotag]Amari Burney[/autotag] (Las Vegas) went in the fourth and sixth rounds, respectively.

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One play from each draftee that shows what they bring to the Jaguars

What do the newest members of the Jaguars bring to the table? These plays offer a glimpse:

It obviously takes a lot more than one play to evaluate a football player. But sometimes one highlight is all it takes to see the size, speed, strength, athleticism, and skills that someone brings to the field.

In the 2023 NFL draft, the Jacksonville Jaguars added 13 new players to their roster. While some — like former Auburn running back Tank Bigsby and Florida linebacker Ventrell Miller — might be familiar to Jaguars fans, others are new names and faces.

So what do the new members of the Jaguars bring to the table? Here’s one highlight from each draftee that shows what Jacksonville hopes it’s going to get:

5 things to know about new Jaguars LB Ventrell Miller

Get to know the Jaguars’ new linebacker Ventrell Miller.

The Jacksonville Jaguars didn’t have much of a need at linebacker entering the 2023 NFL draft after adding Foye Oluokun, Devin Lloyd, and Chad Muma last offseason.

But when the Jaguars went on the clock for the first of three fourth-round picks, they looked to the hometown school and added Florida linebacker Ventrell Miller.

So who’s the new Gators representative on the Jaguars roster? Here are five things to know about Miller:

Las Vegas Raiders select LB Amari Burney in 6th round of 2023 NFL draft

Amari Burney is headed to Las Vegas! The former Florida linebacker was selected by the Raiders with 203rd overall pick in the 2023 NFL draft on Sunday.

The Las Vegas Raiders have drafted former Florida linebacker [autotag]Amari Burney[/autotag] with the 203rd overall pick in the sixth round of the 2023 NFL draft.

Burney began his career as a defensive back at Florida. He played both safety and the STAR position for a bit but switched to linebacker as an upperclassman.. A notable NFL combine snub, Burney’s Pro Day performance and 2022 tape was enough for the Raiders to take a chance on him.

He finished his super-senior season with 79 tackles, nine tackles for loss, four sacks, two interceptions, two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery. He played over 2,500 snaps for Florida throughout his five years with the Gators.

The biggest moment of Burney’s Gator career came in the home opener against Utah. He made a diving interception with less than a minute remaining on the clock to secure the win.

Florida has now had six players selected in the 2023 NFL draft. Quarterback [autotag]Anthony Richardson[/autotag] came off the board first at pick No. 4 overall to Indianapolis, and [autotag]Gervon Dexter Sr[/autotag]. (Chicago) and O’Cyrus Torrence (Buffalo) were Day 2 selections.

[autotag]Ventrell Miller[/autotag] was the first player selected on Saturday at No. 121 overall to Jacksonville, which means both of Florida’s starting middle linebackers have been drafted. Wide receiver [autotag]Justin Shorter[/autotag] is also headed to Buffalo after being the Bills’ fifth-round pick.

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Buffalo Bills select Justin Shorter in 5th round of 2023 NFL draft

Justin Shorter is headed to Buffalo! The former Gator will reunite with his Florida teammate O’Cyrus Torrence to play for the Bills after being drafted in the fifth round.

The Buffalo Bills drafted wide receiver [autotag]Justin Shorter[/autotag] with the 150th overall pick in the fifth round of the 2023 NFL draft.

Shorter is the second Florida Gator selected by Buffalo in this draft after the Bills used their second-round pick to draft offensive lineman [autotag]O’Cyrus Torrence[/autotag]. They also took cornerback [autotag]Kaiir Elam[/autotag] in the first round of last year’s draft.

The former Florida receiver will join a wide receiver room that features some of the nation’s best. Stefon Diggs is the No. 1 pass catcher on the team and former UCF receiver Gabe Davis is a strong second option for Josh Allen, who is one of the top quarterbacks in the league.

Shorter joined the Gators as a transfer in 2020 after spending two years with Penn State. Once [autotag]Kadarius Toney[/autotag] and [autotag]Kyle Pitts[/autotag] moved on from the program, he stepped into a starting and more prominent role with the team.

In his final year of collegiate play, Shorter hauled in 29 receptions for 577 yards and two touchdowns. He start all nine games he played in while healthy. He finished with 1,395 career receiving yards and eight touchdowns over 34 games.

Florida has now had five players selected in the 2023 NFL draft. Quarterback [autotag]Anthony Richardson[/autotag] came off the board first at pick No. 4 overall to Indianapolis, and [autotag]Gervon Dexter Sr[/autotag]. (Chicago) and O’Cyrus Torrence (Buffalo) were Day 2 selections. [autotag]Ventrell Miller[/autotag] was the first player selected on Saturday at No. 121 overall to Jacksonville.

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Jacksonville Jaguars select LB Ventrell Miller in 4th Round

This sixth-year senior finally heard his name called after years of tears and toil.

Former Florida linebacker [autotag]Ventrell Miller[/autotag] was selected by the Jacksonville Jaguars with the No. 121 pick in the fourth round of the 2023 NFL draft on Saturday. The 6-foot, 221-pound defender is the fourth Gator selected in the draft so far, joining quarterback [autotag]Anthony Richardson[/autotag], defensive lineman [autotag]Gervon Dexter[/autotag] and offensive lineman [autotag]O’Cyrus Torrence[/autotag], respectively.

The sixth-year senior earned his bachelor’s degree in Family, Youth and Community Sciences in the Fall of 2022 to wrap up a solid but injury-marred collegiate career with the Orange and Blue. Miller was suspended during his freshman year in 2017 but managed to become a significant presence on the field from 2018-20. The injury bug struck in 2021 limiting him to just two games but he returned for 11 matchups in 2022.

The Lakeland, Florida, product amassed 238 total tackles (124 solo, 114 assisted) while logging 7.5 sacks, a pair of forced and recovered fumbles, and an interception over 43 games played for the Gators. The last time the Jaguars selected a Florida product in the draft was in 2020 when they selected cornerback [autotag]CJ Henderson[/autotag] with the ninth pick overall in the first round.

The final day of the NFL draft continues on Saturday afternoon starting and can be followed on ABC, ESPN and the NFL Network.

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