How UF’s first round QBs have fared in the NFL

Anthony Richardson became the fifth Florida Gators quarterback to be drafted in the opening round on Thursday night, going No. 4 to the Indianapolis Colts.

He joined Steve Spurrier, John Reaves, Rex Grossman and Tim Tebow as the only Gators quarterbacks to have his name called on the first night of the NFL Draft.

Let’s take a dive into how each of these four quarterbacks before Richardson panned out in the NFL.

Steve Spurrier – No. 3 overall pick of the 1967 Draft

Career stats: 13-24-1 record as starter, 597-1151 (51.9%), 6,878 passing yards, 40 touchdowns, 60 interceptions, 666 rushing yards

After winning the Heisman Trophy with the Gators and before coming back to Florida as head coach, Spurrier had a 10-year career in the NFL.

Spurrier spent nine of those seasons with the San Francisco 49ers, who drafted him in the 1972 NFL/AFL Draft. He sat behind 49ers All-Pro quarterback John Brodie for much of his time in San Francisco, but he was the starting punter for the team.

The highlight season of his career was in 1972 when Brodie went down with an ankle injury, which upgraded Spurrier to the starter under center. He took over for the then 2-3 49ers, catapulting them into the playoffs with a 6-1-1 record as the starter.

Brodie started for the 49ers in the playoffs where they lost in the first round to Dallas. After that, Spurrier saw the field sparingly over the next few seasons before being traded to Tampa Bay.

He was the Buccaneers first-ever starting quarterback as the NFL had just expanded in the 1976-77 season. The Bucs recorded the first-ever winless season (0-14) with Spurrier getting the start in 12 of those games.

Spurrier was cut by the Bucs in 1977 and bounced around to a couple teams before being cut by the Dolphins ahead of the regular season. He then ended his playing career and started on the coaching front at UF in 1978 as an assistant coach.

John Reaves – No. 14 overall pick of the 1972 Draft

Career stats: 4-13 record as starter, 286-616 (46.4%), 3,617 passing yards, 17 touchdowns, 34 interceptions, 505 rushing yards

Reaves’ career took a turn for the worst quickly after being drafted in the first round to the Eagles. He started seven games as a rookie and didn’t capture a single victory.

From there, he bounced to the Cincinnati Bengals, the Minnesota Vikings and the Houston Oilers before heading to the USFL. He played with the Bandits for three seasons before going back to the NFL for one season with Tampa Bay.

After his professional playing career came to an end, he spent some time on Spurrier’s staff in Gainesville from 1990-94.

Rex Grossman – No. 22 overall pick of the 2003 Draft

Career stats: 25-22 record as starter, 863-1,562 (55.2%), 10,232 passing yards, 56 touchdowns, 60 interceptions

After a flashy career in Gainesville, Grossman went to the league to see the field sparingly in his first three seasons with the Chicago Bears.

It wasn’t until the 2006 season that he saw the field as the full-time starter and led the Bears to Super Bowl XLI, which they lost to the Indianapolis Colts, 29-17.

After a rocky 2-5 start in 2007, Grossman lost the starting job in Chicago and saw limited action  with the Bears and the Houston Texans up until he joined the Washington Redskins in 2010.

Grossman took over for Donovan McNabb and started three games in 2010 for Washington and was the starter heading into the 2011 season. After a 5-8 start in 2011, he was replaced and his starting days were over.

He stayed in Washington until 2013 under Robert Griffin III and Kirk Cousins before heading to Cleveland and Atlanta. He was released by the Falcons on Sept. 4, 2015, and his NFL career had come to an end.

Tim Tebow – No. 25 overall pick of the 2010 Draft

Career stats: 8-6 record as starter, 173-361 (47.9%), 2,422 passing yards, 17 passing touchdowns, nine interceptions

From college to the NFL, all eyes were on Tim Tebow.

In his first season, he barely saw the field. That was the case in 2011 as well until then-Broncos head coach John Fox named Tebow the starter after he came in to relieve Kyle Orton in a near comeback win against the San Diego Chargers.

From there, Tebowmania had officially begun. The Broncos went onto clinch a spot in the playoffs with a 7-4 record with Tebow under center. 

Tebow went onto win a wild card playoff game against Ben Roethlisberger and the Pittsburgh Steelers before losing to New England in the divisional round.

The Broncos brought in Peyton Manning following the season, and Tebow was traded to the Jets where he spent one season. He went to New England for a season before beginning his broadcast career.

Tebow spent one more season with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2015 before going full time with broadcasting. His final NFL stint was one offseason with Urban Meyer and the Jacksonville Jaguars as a tight end before getting cut ahead of the 2021 season.

Stay tuned to Gators Online for more 2023 NFL Draft coverage.