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Florida wide receiver Justin Shorter declares for 2023 NFL Draft, plans to skip bowl game

Nikki Chavanelleby:Nikki Chavanelle•12/01/22•

NikkiChavanelle

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Florida receiver Justin Shorter celebrates during his team's spring game on April 14, 2022. (Icon Sportwire / Getty Images)

Florida Gators wide receiver Justin Shorter declared for the 2023 NFL Draft in an Instagram post on Thursday afternoon. Along with the news that he is moving on to the big leagues, he also shared that he plans to sit out the Gators’ bowl game.

Along with wideout Ricky Pearsall, Shorter led the Florida receiving attack in 2022. He racked up 29 receptions for 577 yards and two touchdowns this season. He was also tied for the lead in receptions last season when he finished with 41 for 550 yards and three scores.

Shorter did not play in Florida’s annual rivalry game this year versus Florida State, which saw Billy Napier’s first-year squad lose 45-38 on the road. In his last game in the Blue and Orange, he put up eight catches for 106 yards in the 31-24 loss to Vanderbilt.

“After much prayer and consideration, I have decided to sit out from the bowl game and begin my training for the 2023 NFL Draft,” Shorter wrote. “I am excited for what the future holds and thank everyone for your continued prayers and support. Always a Gator.”

A former five-star recruit, Shorter began his career at Penn State. He saw action in 14 games with the Nittany Lions before transferring to Florida in 2020. He played in all 10 regular season games in the COVID-shortened season. Shorter recorded 23 catches for 246 yards and three touchdowns, all career-highs at the time.

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Hailing from South Brunswick High School in New Jersey, Shorter was the No. 7 overall prospect in the 2018 signing class, according to the On3 Consensus.

More on the 2023 NFL Draft

The 2023 NFL Draft takes place from Thursday, April 27 through Saturday, April 29 in Kansas City, Missouri. The event location this year is the plaza just outside of Union Station.

Round 1 of the NFL Draft begins at 8 p.m. ET on Thursday, Apr. 27. Rounds 2-3 will begin at 7 p.m. ET on Friday, Apr. 28, and Rounds 4-7 will begin at 12 p.m. ET on Saturday, Apr. 29. The draft broadcast runs throughout the weekend on both ESPN and NFL Network.

To be eligible for the NFL Draft, players must be at least three years removed from their final year of high school while having used up their collegiate eligibility. Underclassmen are able to request league approval to become eligible for the draft, as are players who have graduated prior to using up all of their collegiate eligibility. One hundred underclassmen gained approval for last year’s draft. Seventy-three of those 100 underclassmen received special eligibility while 27 of them were underclassmen who had completed their college degrees.

The 2023 NFL scouting combine will take place from Feb. 28 through March 6 in Indianapolis.