Wishes for every Gator that was drafted or signed as free agent

by Bob Redman, aka “Hollywood Bob”

Florida continued its streak of having a player drafted in each of the modern day NFL Drafts when the Gators saw three from the 2021 squad get introduced to their new teams. But as of Saturday night, five more Gators were signed to undrafted free agent contracts among the NFL squads. Here are wishes for each of the guys that are ready to fulfill their dreams of playing professionally in the NFL.

CB Kaiir Elam (Round-1, Buffalo Bills) 

In the 2021 season, the Bills defense was first in the NFL in number of completions allowed, completion percentage, yards/ attempt, total yards allowed, passing touchdowns allowed, first downs allowed through the air and more. What they didn’t do quite as well and finishing tied for fourth was taking the ball away via interception. The future at Florida looked bright for Elam in terms of a career full of interceptions when he had one in the second and third game of his freshman season in 2019. But the numbers weren’t there after that and too many issues in the secondary after that freshman campaign along with teams throwing away from him kept his interception numbers low. He finished with six through three years but had a team high 12 broken up passes in his sophomore campaign. He’s got all the tools to be that guy and that’s why the Bills drafted him. The wish is for him to stand tall when other teams will be gunning for him now.

DL Zachary Carter (Round-3, Cincinnati Bengals) 

For Carter I wish him the chance to grow. I think he improved every year he was on campus at Florida and matured into a high-round draft pick. He showed versatility in his ability to play inside or out and I think he can bring that to the pro game. He’s a high enough pick where he should be given every chance to succeed but not too high where he will be expected to be a star from the onset. His upside will always be great, go be great Zach.

RB Dameon Pierce (Round-4, Houston Texans) 

Just give him the ball. The legs are fresh after being underutilized for four years. Turn him loose and get him to that new paycheck in three years. Also, mic him up at practice, he will have them falling out of their chairs laughing on social media if they do.

RB Malik Davis (FA – Dallas Cowboys) 

Let him have a chance not only as a running back but let him show his ability to catch the ball. It is easy to think back to his freshman season when he was tearing it up and before his big injury. But in 2020 with a quarterback in Kyle Trask that threw it all over the field, Davis caught the ball 31 times for 377 yards and was deadly on the wheel route. Even with a less productive passing game in 2021, he still caught 23 passes for 217 yards and a couple of touchdowns. Throw him the ball and see what he can do.

OT Jean Delance (FA – Chicago Bears) 

Kind of like Carter in a sense, Delance got better over time and his senior season was definitely his best. The transfer from Texas came in highly heralded and probably didn’t meet fans standards through most of his career.  The wish is that he continues his upward trend and makes the squad.

DT Antonio Valentino (FA – New York Giants)  

For Valentino, I just wish him luck. He’s a great dude with a heart of gold and he may just need the right chance and fit to make things work. He was at Florida just one season after transferring from Penn State and started every game, giving it his all. He’s a big body that can take up space, so the fit will be the key for him.

DT Tyrone Truesdell (FA – New York Giants) 

Tyrone, we hardly knew ya. You were recruited to Florida out of high school and went to Auburn. In your final year you decided to come over and didn’t arrive until right before the season started. Although you saw action in all 13 games, the time on the field wasn’t very much for one reason or another. The hope for you young man is that you get a chance to show yourself with the Giants just like Valentino with the same team.

LB Jeremiah Moon (FA – Baltimore Ravens) 

I wish him good health, Moon dealt with more injuries than most in his time in Gainesville. He has terrific tools to work with and I believe if he stays healthy he can be a really good one. A healthy Moon has a decent chance of making the squad in some capacity.