Why Florida Gators, FSU should be encouraged by NFL draft’s first round

As the state of Florida moves on from its historically bad season, Thursday night provided some long-term optimism with the first round of the NFL draft.

The Gators bolstered their claim to being one of the nation’s top programs for defensive backs when the Bills traded up to pick Kaiir Elam at No. 23. Three picks later, the NFL Network was showing the tomahawk chop after the Jets moved up to snag Florida State edge rusher Jermaine Johnson.

The encouraging signs started even earlier, when the Texans drafted LSU cornerback Derek Stingley at No. 3. Stingley’s position coach with the Tigers was Corey Raymond, whom new Gators coach Billy Napier poached. Stingley is the second top-six defensive back Raymond has developed (along with three-time Pro Bowler Jamal Adams), and two of Raymond’s other LSU players were first-round picks.

Though the Gators don’t want to be touting LSU’s success too much, the fact that their cornerbacks coach produced another elite NFL prospect will be a selling point on the recruiting trail.

Elam will be, too, as UF had a defensive back drafted for the seventh consecutive year. He was a bright spot on a defense that struggled for much of his three seasons as a starter. Elam’s speed and size (6-2, 196) pushed him into the first round and give him a chance to succeed on a good Buffalo team — something UF can be bragging about for years.

The Gators also will be touting what happened at No. 8 when the Falcons made USC’s Drake London the first receiver chosen. London’s position coach with the Trojans? Keary Colbert, another member of Napier’s army. London is the fifth offensive draft pick Colbert has coached. Considering how desperately the Gators need playmakers, that’s another important pitch for recruits and transfers.

Florida State got a much-needed win, too, when Johnson finally heard his name called in Las Vegas. Though it was later than most prognosticators expected, Johnson was still a first-round pick — the Seminoles’ third in the past six drafts. It qualifies as one of the biggest victories of Mike Norvell’s tenure.

As FSU looks to the future, it can’t find much optimism from onfield success. The Seminoles are 8-13 in Norvell’s two seasons.

FSU can’t point to recruiting triumphs, either. The Seminoles entered the early signing period with a realistic shot at a top-10 class. They finished 21st in a year that will forever be defined by watching No. 1 overall prospect Travis Hunter end his 21-month FSU commitment by flipping to Jackson State.

But the Seminoles can take solace in Johnson’s big night. It’s one of the loudest, clearest pieces of evidence that brighter days may be coming.

Though Johnson was a top junior-college recruit, he didn’t dominate in his two seasons at Georgia. He started four games there and recorded 36 tackles. But Norvell and his staff saw enough flashes to want to pick him up through the transfer portal. And Johnson believed in Norvell enough to leave a program destined to win a national title for one coming off a 3-6 season.

The result: Johnson blossomed into the ACC’s defensive player of the year with 70 tackles (18 for a loss) and 12 sacks. Though Johnson deserves credit for his growth, Norvell and his staff can tell the next wave of promising prospects (through the portal or otherwise) how they turned a role player into a first-round pick in less than a year.

“Coach Norvell, he told me what he wanted me to do, what he expected me to do,” Johnson said before last month’s pro day. “I kind of took that challenge and opportunity, and I ran with it.”

All the way to the first round as part of a promising night for the state’s future.

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