NFL, I’d like you to meet the University of Florida Gators.

On a weekend when even the most die-hard Titletown residents had something to gasp at, what really surprises is the overall scope of what was done in the draft.  With nine overall picks in the draft’s seven rounds, not only did Meyer come within one of the record for the school (10 picks in 1978, though the draft was 12 rounds back then), but he had more go in the first round than LSU, USC, or Ohio State…combined (0+0+0=0).  Including the three post draft pick ups and you’ve got almost every player you expected at home with their new team as a professional football player.

So, who made out the best, you may wonder?  Which young man is heading for fortune and glory?  Which of our extended family here in Gainesville is moving on to the best situation?  Who made out the best on draft day?  Well, here’s a list of the five Gators not named Tebow who did the best in the 2010 NFL Draft, with a number one that took most by surprise when he was taken Friday.

5. Major Wright – Admit it, you didn’t think he was going to be attractive to an NFL squad.  However, the Bears first overall pick in the draft (#75 overall) is heading to a team that shuffled through a squad of 5 different starters at the free safety position.  While Wright did start in all but 8 of his 41 total games as a Gator (7 in his freshman year alone) and has an impressive 165 tackles, what Chicago really needs is to improve on a combine one overall interception at the safety position in 2009.  Major Wright may be aggressive, may have a nose for offensive coverage, and may be one vicious open field tackler, but he has rackets for hands.  If you need someone to knock a pass down, maybe get in-between a receiver and the ball, or time a hit to disrupt a catch, Wright’s your guy, but… All I’m saying is, Wright is an A+ safety in all but pass interception (he’s got 8 in his career) and the Bears are really in need of a Velcro handed DB, so there has to be some major (no pun intended) work done in the pre-season if he is going to be considered a solid lock to start (though the Bears have hinted that it is a definite possibility with their weak choices).  There’s also his two a seasons against the Vikings, with star 2nd year stud Percy Harvin, a player who Wright knows inside and out from numerous practices, which will make him the guy to keep an eye on Percy.  With third round draft money and a team that look dedicated to regaining the top spot in the ultra competitive NFC North, Major Wright made a 4th-5th round expectation into the beginning of a promising, successful career.  Good luck…practice catching…

4.Maurkice Pouncey – The Pittsburgh Steelers haven’t taken a center in the first round since 1937, but apparently Big Ben needed some extra protection this year (could have used it months ago, but…) and took the elder Pouncey with the 18th overall pick in the draft.  While his celebratory kiss with brother Mike has been all the rage on YouTube, the truth of the matter is that this was the least surprising Gator pick in the draft.  We all knew the Steelers had eyes for Maurkice, had been courting him for some time, and are looking to him to shore up a somewhat porous Steelers line that saw Roethlisberger sacked 50 times.  His workouts and interviews in Pittsburgh more than impressed the O-line coach Sean Kugler, who crowed about the center’s “true knowledge” of the game and the position, as well as praising his understanding and retention of the Steelers offensive system in a short time.  “Awesome” was the word used to describe him, which is the same word that will be used to describe his payday (1st rounders get buckets of green love) and his potential to win a Super Bowl…though perhaps not this season.  Truth be told, Pouncey is walking on to a team that has seen the most controversy in the off-season and though this may not be a Super Bowl year (losing Holmes and then Ben’s suspension make prospects a little bleak for 2010), he’s still walking on to one of the most decorated and winningest franchises in the NFL.  Owner Art Rooney has always brought a real love of football to Pittsburgh, something fans and players alike have benefited from, and Pouncey was the player for them and that city, no doubt about it.  Too bad Mike’s got some school left, as this will be the first time in their football careers that they have been separated.  Oh well, maybe they’ll need more line help next year.

3. Joe Haden – The beginning of the Mike Holmgren era in Cleveland began in the off season with brooms and pink slips, cleaning out old players (Brady Quinn, now vying with Tebow and Orton for a spot in the QB rotation in Denver) and setting the stage to retool their franchise in the 2010 draft.  Their first piece, their “home run” as GM Holmgren put it, was Haden with the 7th overall pick, the highest cornerback drafted since Adam Jones by the Titans (6th in 2006).  Joe will now become the centerpiece of a defense that needed help at almost every position after being ranked 21st in 2009, allowing 375 points in a woeful 5-11 season.  The Browns are the perennial joke of the NFL, always in the bottom of the defense heavy AFC North, always having some QB battle or player dissatisfactions, and never in the discussion when playoff time comes around.  Cleveland hoped to begin the change with the hiring of Holmgren, who hopes that change will continue with the arrival of Haden, who is expected to and should start come opening day.  After last season’s 29th ranking takeaway/giveaway differential (a -12), the Browns will welcome a corner who brings eight interceptions in just three years (four of them in 2009), as well as almost 200 tackles in that same span.  The Browns continued their dedication to defense with controversial pick TJ Ward at safety in the 2nd round, a hard hitter who may or may not have been the best player on the board at the 38th pick, and then raised some eyebrows with Colt McCoy in the third, but Haden is still the jewel of the Browns draft, no doubts.  He is NFL ready and will be a sight to see in the coming months.

2. Brandon Spikes/Aaron Hernandez – The Bill-Urban love affair took center stage in 2010 as 3 players from the University of Florida found their way up to Boston.  We’ll get to the first taken in a second, but let’s take a moment to examine what New England got with picks 62 and 113, who we’ll pool together here to save time.  With the latter, you get a tight end that, arguably, was UF’s second biggest offensive threat in 09.  All his fundamentals are through the roof, he’s got great speed both before and after the catch, and runs tight, crisp routes.  Hernandez flourished last year with 68 receptions for 850 yards and 5 TDs, including 111 yards and a TD in the Sugar Bowl.  Overall, he amassed 1382 yards and 111 receptions in roughly two seasons (he only got touches in a few games his freshman year), with 12 total touchdowns and though he’s a welcome addition to the Pats, he was taken mostly due to his still being available so late in the draft.  New England took a tight end named Rob Gronkowski with one of their 3 second round picks and though the Arizona player had great skills, Hernandez could become another Brady-esque late round steal as both Gronkowski and off-season add-on Alge Crumpler are more traditional tight ends.  Aaron has always been more of a pure pass catcher and should look for a lot of opportunity.  As for the 62nd pick, what more can we praise Spikes for.  After a disappointing 40-yard dash time dropped his draft stock a smidge (I still believe they should have to run it in their pads, as I believe Spikes is faster in his combat dress), Belichick added to an already deep linebacker core that now faces a three way battle to grab the second ILB position in the Pats 3-4 alignment.  With Jerod Mayo a lock at the position, Spikes will battle with last year’s most consistent starter Gary Guyton and a 2009 pick named Tyron McKenzie who was forced out of last season with a torn ACL, though the former Gator is very much in contention to start.  Spikes seems just as knowledgeable to the Pats head coach as the other established LBs, though, as Bill was known to frequent the UF facilities from time to time and, as Spikes puts it, “…[Belichick] knows pretty much everything about me. I know what he’s about.”.  As this year’s Patriots look to continue bolstering a team who lost several key veterans on defense last year (including Richard Seymour, Mike Vrabel, Rodney Harrison, and Tedy Bruschi), the essential young players need a strong central figure on defense, something Spikes is familiar with in his time at UF.  285 tackles, 6 interceptions (four of them pick-sixes), and 6 sacks in his Gator career is some solid base to work with, and the familiarity should breed success, both in the system and the player development (as should the fact that Spikes is dating the daughter of Celtics coach Doc Rivers, another supporter of bringing the LB to Boston).  Look for both of these guys to contribute ASAP and get some more trophies to add to their collegiate successes.

1. Jermaine Cunningham – This one surprised me more than Tebow.  In all the talk leading up to the draft, of all the defensive linemen mentioned, talked about, and explored ad nauseum, Cunningham’s name came up about as much as that guy Jacksonville took in the first round (for those who care, his name is Tyson Alualu from Cal…this is who they got to sell tickets…).  Everyone expected Dunlap to go higher, everyone watched to see when Tim would go, everyone guessed as to who would snatch up Spikes, but no one seemed to remember poor Jermaine.  In retrospect, I’ve started to realize that this guy was the quiet heart and soul of the fantastic Gator defensive lines we’ve enjoyed the past three years.  Many said Dunlap dropped so low because of his DUI, but compare his and Cunningham’s stats and you see that Carlos was the inferior, no matter how our memories serve.  Last year saw a major drop in Cunningham’s stats, but in the previous two he put anything Dunlap did at UF to shame (and even last year saw Carlos just edge out Jermaine in tackles and sacks).   Granted, Cunningham moved between OLB and DE in his time at UF, but that variety of experience and his size make him perfect for the 3-4 pass rush of the Patriots, which uses both speed and power to get around the ends and bother the opposing quarterback.  He was projected to go much lower, but like Spikes, Cunningham benefited from occasional Belichick visits during spring camps and was well known to the craft NFL head coach when draft time came.  With Jermaine and, more specifically, with New England, you really start to see how the best players in the draft may not be the best players for a specific team.  For the schemes they run and the holes they had, Cunningham to the Patriots was a perfect match, but the sports world was too busy throwing Tebow and Bradford and Suh around, so much so that we missed some of the real value in the draft that our own players here in Gainesville had.  As a Bills fan (hey, we may have missed out on Tebow, but we got Nelson post draft, so…) it pains me to praise Belichick, but the man knows talent and was able to see through the sound and fury of the draft predictors and see the real value available, especially in the places he needed it most.  With a college stat line of 145 tackles, and interception, and 18 sacks, Cunningham should be shoulder to shoulder with Spikes again before the month is out.

Overall, Meyer has done some amazing things with Florida players, with a two year total of his recruits grabbing 11 draft picks, with 4 first rounders and at least one Rookie of the Year.   This year set a UF record with 6 picks in the first two rounds and that’s just the second year the Urban picked recruits have gone pro.  Factor in the signings since draft day and you’ve got to love how great it is to be a Gator, especially now that they’re finally getting some consistent NFL love (no offense to Fred Taylor).  Seems the rest of the world is pretty on to our little secret here in Titletown.

Go Gators…apparently, Urban does know how to get players ready for the next stage.

Joshua Bauer is a Columnist for GatorTailgating.com. You can reach him at josh@gatortailgating.com.