After not hearing much during day one of the National Football League’s draft, the Sunshine State was present during day two as several Florida college stars heard their names called – including a duo of former rivals now joining forces in the "City of Angels."
In the second round, the Los Angeles Rams selected two players from the state of Florida - former Florida State Seminoles running back Cam Akers with the 52nd pick and former Florida Gators wide receiver Van Jefferson five picks later.
Akers, who came to the Seminoles as one of the top players in the 2017 signing class, bounced back from a subpar 2018 sophomore season to rush for over 1,100 yards and 14 touchdowns in 2019 before forgoing his senior season.
His day two selection was the first time since 2017 that the first pick from FSU did not come in the first round.
Jefferson, the son of former NFL wide receiver Shawn, transferred to the Gators from Ole Miss for his final two seasons and finished his career by catching six passes for 129 yards in Florida’s win over Virginia in the 2019 Orange Bowl.
The speedy receiver was the second former Gator to hear his named called after defensive back and Miami native C.J. Henderson was picked ninth overall in the first round by the Jacksonville Jaguars on Thursday.
Florida fans cheered again in the third round when defensive end Jabari Zuniga was taken with the 79th pick by the New York Jets followed by linebacker Jonathan Greenard being taken with the 90th pick by the Houston Texans.
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Zuniga was a preseason All-SEC pick before missing six games with an ankle injury, returning for his final college game in the Orange Bowl. Greenard was a graduate transfer from Louisville, playing one season for the Gators and finishing 2019 with 9.5 sacks and one interception.
One team that did not hear a former player’s name called was the Miami Hurricanes. The 'Canes didn’t have a player taken in the first or second round for the third straight year.
