The National Football League season is coming to a close, and UF was well represented in 2025. Seven former Gators hit the gridiron for six respective teams.
Florida football’s disappointing 4-8 season wrapped up in late November, but the careers of these handful of former Gators lived on. UF continued its streak of hosting a pick in every NFL draft since 1967 — the only SEC program to notch the accolade.
Florida’s draft picks spanned all three phases of the game. Now that the draft is nine months removed, here’s how every former Gators rookie stacked up, with a grade assigned by The Alligator based on season results and draft selection.
Chimere Dike, Tennessee Titans: A+
Round 4, Pick 103
Florida’s first represented selection in the 2025 NFL draft was arguably the most instrumental.
Chimere Dike, a 6-foot-1 wide receiver and return specialist, earned various accolades in his first professional season. He was selected to the 2025 Associated Press NFL All-Pro Team and the NFL All-Rookie team. The wideout was also named to the Pro Bowl roster as the American Football Conference’s return specialist. Dike became the Titans’ sixth rookie to notch the honor since 1970.
UF’s sole fourth-round selection quickly made his mark. The former Gator held the league’s third-best 40-yard dash time among wide receivers at the NFL Combine. His 4.34-second time was No. 7 across the board.
Tennessee’s latest front office hire, general manager Mike Borgonzi, focused heavily on the offensive side of the ball in the draft. He selected five position players out of the team’s nine picks.
Dike finished the season with 48 receptions for 423 yards and four touchdowns. However, he made the largest impact in the return game. He cemented his name in the record books with 2,427 all-purpose yards. The total surpassed NFL Hall-of-Famer Tim Brown’s title that stood for 37 seasons.
Dike racked up 1,588 kickoff return yards, ranking second in the NFL. He also added two punt return touchdowns, which tied for first.
Cam Jackson, Carolina Panthers: D-
Round 5, Pick 140
The Gators’ first defensive cornerstone off the board came with the second pick of the fifth round. Jackson had last played in the Reese’s Senior Bowl to conclude his second season with UF.
The defensive tackle was featured in 23 contests when sporting a Gators uniform. Jackson notched 37 total tackles, two sacks and two passes defended in his senior campaign. He was also named Third-Team All-AAC by Pro Football Focus in 2023 while with the Memphis Tigers.
However, Jackson had a slow first season in the NFL, logging a mere nine total tackles.
He was part of a Carolina front that ranked in the bottom half of the league in rush defense. The Panthers allowed an average of 123.3 ground yards per game.
Jackson’s best outing came on Dec. 28 against the Seattle Seahawks. He tallied five total tackles in the 27-10 loss.
Jason Marshall Jr., Miami Dolphins: B-
Round 5, Pick 150
In a season marked by letdowns, the Dolphins could view drafting Marshall as a win. The cornerback had a quiet season, but he showed immense promise late in the year.
Miami’s secondary was depleted by injuries right from the jump. The team saw six corners land on injured reserve and two safeties did the same, opening up a lane for Marshall.
Starting safeties Minkah Fitzpatrick and Ashtyn Davis were forced to miss action, and the former Gator was also kept out of five contests due to a hamstring injury that landed him on injured reserve following the team’s Week 3 loss in Buffalo.
When available, Marshall played a role for Miami. He finished his rookie season with 23 total tackles, four passes defended and one interception. While not displaying the flashiest of numbers, he made an impact in the Dolphins’ secondary when asked.
Marshall played all four years with the Gators, racking up 98 total tackles, two sacks and one interception. The 6-foot corner was familiar with the Dolphins franchise prior to hearing his name called in the fifth round.
He attended Miami Palmetto Senior High School, just 30 minutes from where the Dolphins call home — Hard Rock Stadium.
Marshall’s most notable contribution came in Week 17 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He nabbed his first career interception off a deep pass down the right sideline, stepping in front of wideout Jalen McMillan for the pick.
The Dolphins would find the end zone on the succeeding possession, setting them up for their final victory of the season.
Shemar James, Dallas Cowboys: C+
Round 5, Pick 152
James, a three-year starter with the Gators, had one of the best rookie seasons on the list. The linebacker impressed teams early at the NFL Combine. He finished with the No. 3 time among linebackers in the three-cone drill and No. 4 in the shuttle run.
Both events, plus his below-average 40-yard dash time, landed him in the front half of the fifth round. James closed out his first season with the Cowboys with 91 total tackles, leading the team in the category. He also picked up 1.5 sacks and an interception. The pick and his first sack came on Oct. 19 against the Washington Commanders.
James came into the NFL off a 64-tackle junior campaign. He etched three seasons with more than 47 tackles, including his sophomore year that was cut short due to injury. Despite being kept out of four contests in 2023, James finished second on the team in stops.
While Dallas’ defense remained stagnant throughout 2025, James was a bright spot on the young roster. The 21-year-old played just 14 games and remained a top rookie linebacker this season.
Graham Mertz, Houston Texans: D
Round 6, Pick 197
One of the most interesting players from Florida’s 2025 draft class falls onto Mertz’s shoulders.
The five-year starter — three seasons with Wisconsin and two with Florida — was coming off an ACL injury that occurred in October 2024. Mertz’s career was riddled with injuries upon landing in Gainesville. He fractured his collarbone in the 2023 season finale in Missouri and tore his ACL in Week 8 of 2024. Mertz was also sidelined for a concussion six weeks prior to the knee injury.
Mertz was selected on the final day of the 2025 NFL draft as a developmental piece. The heartbreaking ACL injury forced him to miss the final stints of his collegiate career, but he will get to prove himself in the pros.
The 25-year-old was listed as the third-string quarterback on the Texans’ depth chart throughout the year, behind starter C.J. Stroud and backup Davis Mills. Mertz acted as the team’s emergency quarterback on the roster.
Mertz, a former four-star recruit out of Blue Valley North High School, will likely sit behind Stroud and Mills next season. Pending an offseason quarterback competition, Mertz will continue to learn and develop behind the starter and proven backup.
Jeremy Crawshaw, Denver Broncos: B
Round 6, Pick 216
Crawshaw was the sole rookie product from UF to log minutes in the postseason this year. The punter was featured in all of the Broncos’ contests this year, including their two playoff appearances.
The former Gator maintained all punter responsibilities for Florida throughout four consecutive seasons. Crawshaw was named to the All-Freshman SEC Team in 2021 and to the AP All-SEC Second Team in 2023. He tallied 59 punts across his collegiate career and averaged 45.75 yards per attempt.
The Aussie’s success on the field translated into the pros. Crawshaw was the lone punter drafted in 2025 and shined in the league. His first piece of NFL action featured all three of his punts landing within the 20-yard line in Denver’s victory against the Titans.
Crawshaw ranked No. 3 across the league in net yardage with 3,085 yards. His career-long boot of 76 yards came in Week 9 against the Texans. The kick came just shy of reaching the NFL’s top spot of 2025. Minnesota Vikings’ Ryan Right surpassed Crawshaw by 1 yard for the league’s longest punt.
His 30 kicks that landed inside the 20 stacked up to be No. 3 in the NFL.
The Broncos used their No. 216 selection to snag Crawshaw off the board, a pick that was previously in the hands of the Texans. Denver traded to No. 197 — later used on Mertz — for No. 216 and No. 241.
Crawshaw, a 6-foot-3 punter, was worth the sixth-round selection. He followed former Bronco Riley Dixon and made use of the opportunity. Dixon was the last punter Denver had selected in a draft, hearing his name called in 2016.
Trikweze Bridges, Dallas Cowboys - D
Round 7, Pick 256 (drafted by Los Angeles Chargers)
Bridges is the lone former Gator rookie to fail to make the initial 53-man roster. The cornerback was one draft pick shy of adding the “Mr. Irrelevant” title to his resume. Bridges was selected by the Chargers with the second-to-last pick prior to being claimed off the waiver wire by the Cowboys on Aug. 27.
Bridges made 13 appearances as a Gator in 2024 after transferring from Oregon. He led the team with 70 total tackles in his senior season. Bridges also logged two interceptions, six passes defended and two forced fumbles on the year.
His second pick came at an opportune time — on Tulane’s first play of the 2024 Gasparilla Bowl.
Bridges’ first days in the NFL may not have been standard for an NFL draftee, but he made an impact nevertheless. The 25-year-old notched 23 total tackles and an interception in the big leagues.
Bridges’ first career pick was reeled in after Broncos quarterback Bo Nix misfired in the Week 8 contest. The Cowboys would go on to lose 44-24.
Dallas needed immense help on the defensive side of the ball this season. They finished last in the league in pass defense and No. 30 in total defense. The front office fired ex-defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus following his disappointing first season in Dallas.
Contact Riley Orovitz at rorovitz@alligator.org. Follow her on X @rileyorovitz.
Riley is a sophomore sports journalism student in her second semester at The Alligator. She is the beat reporter for Gators Swim & Dive while also contributing to the Gators Football Beat. She previously served in the same role in her first semester with the newspaper. Riley is an avid South Florida sports fan and enjoys playing/following all sports in her free time.
