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Trikweze Bridges selected in seventh round of 2025 NFL Draft

On3 imageby:Zach Abolverdi•about 20 hours•

ZachAbolverdi

Trikweze-Bridges-Florida-Gators
Florida Gators safety Trikweze Bridges. (Maddie Washburn/UAA Photo)

Florida Gators defensive back Trikweze Bridges was selected in the seventh round of the 2025 NFL Draft on Saturday. The Los Angeles Chargers with the No. 256 overall pick.

Brides started the last seven games in the Gators secondary (three at safety, five at corner), leading the team with 70 tackles (38 solo). He also had two interceptions, six pass breakups, one tackle-for-loss and two forced fumbles for a 71.5 PFF grade.

Bridges made double-digit tackles three times last season, logging 10 tackles at Mississippi State and 11 against Kentucky and Ole Miss. He transferred to UF after five years at Oregon, where he had 91 tackles, four interceptions and eight pass breakups.

Badger played in the Hula Bowl but was not invited to the NFL Scouting Combine. He made up for it at Florida’s Pro Day, running the 40-yard dash in 4.38 seconds.

“I was a little disappointed. In my opinion, I felt like he was a no-brainer combine player,” Napier said of Bridges. “The way he finished the year, the position, flexibility, the height, length, speed, matchup player throw-in. … He may not have made it to the combine, but I do think that these teams do their homework and the film speaks for itself. … The M.O. was tackling was the issue (at Oregon). That was the kind of the word on the street. I had a conversation with (Oregon head coach) Dan [Lanning] about it.

“The character was there. The height, league speed was there. They knew he had some position flex. We just went to work on the tackling mechanics, the fundamentals. We practiced it, we drilled it. We started in the offseason, and I thought he did a great job. I think about the fourth-down critical stop there at home, in a big moment. So, I thought in general, he developed and he made quite a bit of progress. He showed he could play corner and safety, and also really good special teams.”

Draft analysis

“Sixth-year senior with outstanding length and the versatility to take snaps as a zone corner or split safety. Bridges has played press corner but is fairly average at matching releases and routes. He’s more adept as an off-man or zone corner. He might be at his best as a roaming safety, utilizing his instincts, closing burst and ball skills to make plays on the football. He’s an aggressive striker against pass catchers but needs to prove he can eliminate arm tackling as a run supporter. Bridges’ traits, versatility and special-teams potential give him a chance of making a team.” — Lance Zierlein, NFL.com

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