Top five Florida prospects for the 2023 NFL Draft

The 2022 NFL Draft is in the books, with three Gators getting selected and five more signing undrafted deals.

This year produced Florida’s fewest draft picks since 2012, but UF should have a handful of players taken next year.

Here are the Gators’ top five prospects for the 2023 NFL Draft.

EDGE Brenton Cox Jr.

Cox received a third-round grade for the 2022 NFL Draft and decided to return for his redshirt senior season. He’s looking to boost his draft stock after not playing at 100 percent in 2021.

Cox underwent surgery last June to repair a Jones fracture and did not fully recover from it during the fall.

“No. Not at all. I tried to play like it but that wasn’t the case,” Cox said this spring. “Last year was tough for me because of my foot, so I just felt that I have more in the tank, more to prove. Going to try to beat the sack record this year, 13.”

He has his sights set on Alex’s Brown school record (13 sacks) from 2001. Cox has been a key member on defense since transferring from Georgia after the 2018 season, recording 41 total tackles in each of the past two years at UF. 

Cox doubled his sack total from 2020 (4.0) last year, leading the Gators with 8.5 sacks and 14.5 tackles-for-loss. He ranked first in the league in TFL among outside linebackers and second in sacks behind Alabama’s Derick Hall. 

Cox had a breakout game in the regular season finale against Florida State, making a career-high 4.0 sacks and forcing a fumble. His first sack of the season was on Heisman Trophy winner Bryce Young. 

DT Gervon Dexter

For what it’s worth, some early mock drafts have already pegged Dexter as a first-round pick in 2023.

The most notable projection comes from Pro Football Focus, with lead draft analyst Mike Renner having Dexter going 25th overall to the Seattle Seahawks.

“The 6-foot-6, 303-pounder gives Javon Kinlaw vibes with just how massive he is playing defensive line in the SEC,” Renner wrote about Dexter. “As a sophomore last year, he racked up 24 pressures on 229 pass-rushing snaps.”

Dexter started all 13 games in 2021 and recorded 51.0 tackles, first among Gators defensive linemen. He was the only one beside Zachary Carter with more than two sacks (2.5) on the season.

His best game last year came against No. 1 Alabama. Dexter recorded a season-high nine tackles, including an impressive goal-line stop, and made his first career solo sack on Young.

GET OFF A Block 🦍 pic.twitter.com/E0vz4d2If2

— THE Gorilla 🦍 (@GervonDexter) April 26, 2022

LB Ventrell Miller

If not for his season-ending injury in 2021, Miller would be settling in with his new NFL team right now.

After leading the Gators with 86 tackles in 2020, Miller entered last season as a Preseason All-SEC selection and looked to become the first Florida player to eclipse 100 tackles in a season since David Reese II in 2017.

Unfortunately for Miller, he played in just two games after suffering a torn biceps tendon at South Florida. He was out for all of SEC play last season, and his experience and leadership were sorely missed in the middle. 

“I think the consensus here last year is when he got hurt it was a little bit of a setback for the team and the defense in particular,” UF coach Billy Napier said of Miller in the spring. “We’re excited he’s back.”

Miller decided to return as a sixth-year senior so he could have a full season healthy and end his college career on a better note.

“I feel like I had the opportunity (to turn pro),” Miller said, “but I ain’t feel right just leaving without having a good year to finish out. … I’m trying to be the best linebacker in the country, so that’s my personal goal.”

WR Justin Shorter

Shorter also came back for his redshirt season after testing the waters for the 2022 NFL Draft.

He and Miller both announced their decisions on Christmas Day.

“Definitely a hard one,” Shorter said in the spring. “Me and my family sat down and just ending the way that we did, I feel like I can do so much more to help this team win games. I feel like that was the main goal of me coming back.”

Shorter made 41 receptions last year, tied for the team high, for 550 yards and three touchdowns. His best game came at LSU, where he caught six passes for 113 yards and two scores including a Hail Mary at the end of the first half. 

However, Shorter was a victim of Florida’s passing game regressing with former starter Emory Jones. With a new signal caller and a new offense, Shorter will be the team’s go-to receiver this fall and should have more production.

QB Anthony Richardson

Like Dexter, Richardson has received multiple first-round projections for the 2023 NFL Draft.

Bleacher Report and Walter Football both have Richardson going sixth overall to the Detroit Lions, and Sports Illustrated also has him in the top 10 (ninth overall, Pittsburgh Steelers).

Early projections from Pro Football Network (31st, Tampa Bay) and Draft Countdown (32nd, Indianapolis) have Richardson getting drafted late in the first round.

Richardson appeared in eight games last season, throwing for 529 yards with six touchdowns and five interceptions while rushing for 401 yards and three scores on 51 carries. He made his first career start against No. 1 Georgia, but left the game with a concussion. 

Richardson did not receive significant snaps again until replacing Jones vs. FSU, leading the Gators to a 24-21 win. However, he suffered a torn meniscus against the Seminoles and missed the bowl game after minor surgery. He was also sidelined for the Alabama and Tennessee games with injuries.

Richardson is finally healthy and ready for a breakout year with the Gators in 2022. He put on a show in Florida’s spring game last month, throwing for 207 yards and scoring three total touchdowns. 

It remains to seen, however, if he will play well enough this fall to turn pro after his redshirt sophomore season.