The season hasn’t even kicked off in Gainesville, but Florida football is already making noise in the NFL draft conversation.<\/p>\n
ESPN’s Field Yates dropped his preseason 2026 NFL mock draft<\/a>, and a pair of Gators were featured among the projected first-rounders.<\/p>\n At No. 12 overall, offensive tackle Austin Barber<\/a> is headed to the Cleveland Browns<\/a> in ESPN’s mock. Barber has quietly become one of the most reliable players on Florida’s roster, and he’ll be tasked with protecting DJ Lagway’s<\/a> blind side this season.<\/p>\n He allowed just three sacks across 13 starts last season, showing the kind of consistency NFL front offices crave. For a Browns team that gave up 66 sacks in 2024, it’s not hard to see why Yates has them looking Barber’s way.<\/p>\n One pick later at No. 13, defensive tackle Caleb Banks<\/a> is mocked to the Dallas Cowboys<\/a>. Standing 6-foot-6-inches and weighing 330 pounds, Banks has the build of a classic run-stuffer but also flashes the burst to collapse pockets.<\/p>\n Gator Nation saw it first-hand last season when Banks posted 4.5 sacks, including a 2.5-sack showcase against Ole Miss. If he keeps building on his breakout year, Banks feels like the type of prospect who skyrockets up draft boards by April.<\/p>\n For Florida football, having two players projected in the first round this early is encouraging. It’s proof that Billy Napier’s<\/a> program is developing difference-makers on both sides of the ball.<\/p>\n Here is everything Yates said about the pair of Gators he has projected to be selected in the first round of the 2026 NFL draft.<\/p>\n What ESPN said about the Browns drafting Barber<\/p>\n “We got a new QB for the Browns at No. 1 in this mock draft. Now, they have to improve the protection with their other pick, courtesy of the Jaguars via the\u00a0Travis Hunter\u00a0trade.<\/p>\n “Insert Barber, who has excellent length and extensive experience as both a right and left tackle. Barber can really bend and pass protect, something he’ll do at a high-stakes level this season in manning the blind side for 2027 QB prospect\u00a0DJ Lagway. He allowed three sacks last season over 13 starts. The Browns need to get younger along the offensive line; they allowed 66 sacks last season, second most in the league.”<\/p>\n What ESPN said about the Cowboys drafting Banks<\/p>\n “The Cowboys enter the 2025 season looking to right some of the wrongs from their forgettable 2024. One big area of concern is the interior defensive line. Their porous run D (4.8 yards allowed per carry, tied for third-worst) cannot continue if they want to keep contending in the NFC.<\/p>\n “Banks could help fix it. He has outstanding size at 6-foot-6 and 330 pounds, but he also displays the quickness and power to be a disruptive interior rusher. He began his career at Louisville, but his best college season came in 2024, when he had 4.5 sacks for the Gators — including 2.5 in his dominant game\u00a0against Ole Miss.”<\/p>\n Follow us\u00a0@GatorsWire<\/a>\u00a0on X, formerly known as Twitter, as well as\u00a0Bluesky<\/a>, and like our page on\u00a0Facebook<\/a>\u00a0to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators<\/a> news, notes and opinions.<\/p>\n