Listing Every UF Football Player to Become an NFL Pro Bowler

When Ricky Pearsall had his number come up in the 2024 NFL Draft, the talented wide receiver would become the 361^st former Gator to be selected in a professional football draft. With a history dating back to the inaugural draft in 1938, UF players have always featured prominently, even if there are years, such as 2024, that could be considered down years.

Still, the Gators’ legacy and influence in the NFL will continue in the years ahead. This season, as fans settle in to watch the action and make their college football picks each week, they’ll no doubt see UF players with the chance to shine in the NFL one day, carrying on that history brought by hundreds of players before them

Some players, of course, make a huge splash when making it to the NFL. Sometimes, it would feel inevitable after seeing them star in a Gators uniform, whereas other times, it might be slightly surprising to see a player hit the heights in the big leagues. Below, we have a look at those who played for the Gators and got named in the Pro Bowl for the NFL:

Rick Casares

Drafted 1954. Round 2 No.18 (overall) – Chicago Bears

A five-time Pro Bowler, Casares was a tough-as-nails all-around athlete who might have pursued a career as a boxer or basketball player (he was part of the Gators basketball team). He ultimately chose football, becoming a star for both the Gators and Chicago Bears.

Don Chandler

Drafted 1956: Round 5 No. 57 – New York Giants

A place-kicker, Chandler spent a decade with the New York Giants and had reasonable success, including becoming the NFL’s scoring leader in 1963. However, it was with the Green Bay Packers that he wrote his name indelibly in the history books, winning Super Bowl I and II. He was a Pro Bowler in the 1967 season.

Bernie Parish

Drafted 1958: Round 9 No. 108 – Cleveland Browns

Like Casares, Bernie Parish probably could have succeeded in any sport (he batted .433 for the Gators baseball team). As a footballer, he became a two-time Pro Bowler for the Browns, also winning the 1964 NFL Championship. A detail we love about Parish is he returned to UF while an NFL star to finish his degree during the 1960 offseason.

Bobby Joe Green

Drafted 1959: Round 9 No. 102 – San Francisco 49ers

While drafted by the 49ers, Green didn’t play in San Francisco, joining the Pittsburgh Steelers as a free agent a year later. A two-time NFL punting yards leader, Green saw his greatest success with the Chicago Bears. He won the NFL Championship with the Bears in 1963 and became a Pro Bowler in 1970. He returned to UF as a kickers coach from 1979 to 1989.

Jack Youngblood

Drafted 1971: Round 1 No. 20 – Los Angeles Rams

One of the greatest players ever produced by UF, Youngblood was a stalwart defensive end of the Rams for 13 years, seven of which he appeared in the Pro Bowl game. Born in Jacksonville, Youngblood is one of the most popular sons of the region. He’s been involved in extensive charity work since his retirement in the mid-1980s.

Jack Youngblood 2022

Nat Moore

Drafted 1974: Round 3 No.78 – Miami Dolphins

As a wide receiver for the Dolphins, Moore made his name playing with legendary quarterbacks like Dan Marino. He broke nearly every receiving record for the Dolphins by the time of his retirement in the mid-1980s. He was named a Pro Bowler in 1977, the year in which he led the NFL as receiving touchdowns leader.

Wes Chandler

Drafted 1978: Round 1 No.3 – New Orleans Saints

Chandler achieved Pro Bowl honors (four in total) with the Saints and San Diego Chargers. A standout wide receiver in college for the Gators, he was one of the big names going into the 1978 Draft. Chandler fulfilled his promise. He had a long coaching career after hanging up his cleats in 1988.

Tony Green

Drafted 1978: Round 6 No. 159 – Washington Redskins

Green’s NFL story is one of the briefest sparks of brilliance. While picked way down in the Draft by the Redskins, he had a remarkable rookie season as a kickoff returner, earning a Pro Bowl selection after the season ended. Injuries would curtail his NFL career soon after.

Cris Collinsworth                      

Drafted 1981: Round 2 No. 37 – Cincinnati Bengals

Collinsworth had a brief but brilliant NFL career, breaking all kinds of records as a rookie wide receiver in Cincinnati during his first season. Three consecutive years of Pro Bowl honors followed. The Gainesville Sun named him as the No.12 all-time Gator in 2006. Collinsworth also had massive success as a football broadcaster, earning 17 Sports Emmys.

David Little

Drafted 1981: Round 7 No. 183 – Pittsburgh Steelers

Little will always have his place in Gators’ history as part of the legendary and record-breaking 1980 ‘turnaround team’ under coach Charlie Pell. Picked late in the Draft, Little would spend 12 seasons with the Steelers. He gained his Pro Bowl accolade in 1990. Little tragically died in a weight-lifting accident in 2005.

Wilber Marshall

Drafted 1984: Round 1 No.11 – Chicago Bears

The two-time consensus All-American became a two-time Super Bowl champion with two different teams, the Bears and Redskins. He gained his Pro Bowl honors as a linebacker once with each team, too. Marshall was named in the list of 100 greatest Bears and 80 greatest Redskins players.

Lomas Brown

Drafted 1985: Round 1 No. 6 – Detroit Lions

A veritable legend in a Lions uniform, Brown was named to the Pro Bowl seven times during his time in Detroit. A gifted offensive tackle, he moved on to have stints with the Cardinals, Browns, and Giants across the late 1990s and early 2000s. He put an exclamation point on his career in 2002, retiring after winning Super Bowl XXXVII with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

John Williams

Drafted 1986: Round 1 No. 15 – Seattle Seahawks

A high school football star for the Palatka Panthers, Brown was a talented fullback who became consistently good for the Seahawks in his eight seasons in Seattle, for two of which he was named to the Pro Bowl. He finished up with two seasons with the Steelers, reaching Super Bowl XXX (his final game in the NFL).

Trace Armstrong

Drafted 1989: Round 1 No. 12 – Chicago Bears

A success for both the Bears and Dolphins, defensive end Armstrong gained his Pro Bowl honors in 2000 when he led the AFC in quarterback sacks despite not starting a single game across the season. Armstrong was heavily involved in players’ rights movements during his career, serving as President of the NFLPA for eight years.

Emmet Smith

Drafted 1990: Round 1 No. 17 – Dallas Cowboys

One of the greatest players the Gators ever sent to the NFL, Smith won everything the NFL has to offer, including 3 Super Bowls, 8 Pro Bowl nominations, and an MVP award. He held several records as a running back on his retirement in 2004, including the most rushing yards in NFL history.

Kevin Carter

Drafted 1995: Round 1 No. 6 – St Louis Rams

A star defensive end in the Gators’ successful team of the early 1990s, Carter quickly established himself as a key component of the Rams’ defense. He’d spend six seasons in St Louis, getting Pro Bowl honors in 1999, before joining the Tennessee Titans, where he would also play in the Pro Bowl game in 2002.

Fred Taylor

Drafted 1998: Round 1 No. 9 – Jacksonville Jaguars

A brilliant running back for the Jaguars, Taylor held over 40 franchise records for the team when he left for a two-year run with the New England Patriots in at the end of the 2010s. He was named to the Pro Bowl in 2007.

Jevon Kearse

Drafted 1999: Round 1 No. 16 – Tennessee Titans

Clearly talented and brimming with natural ability, Kearse’s early college career was noted for coaches not knowing exactly what to do with him. 1998 was his breakout season for the Gators, earning the SEC Defensive Player of the Year Award. He’d follow that up with NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year in 1999, gaining three consecutive Pro Bowl nominations.

Lito Sheppard

Drafted 2002: Round 1 No. 26 – Philadelphia Eagles

A Jacksonville native, Sheppard was a star for Raines Vikings in high school before three successful seasons with the Gators. He was twice named to the Pro Bowl while playing for the Eagles. Injuries would impact the trajectory of Shappard’s career later on. He finished up playing for the Oakland Raiders in 2011.

Reggie Nelson

Drafted 2007: Round 1 No. 27 – Jacksonville Jaguars

“The Eraser” was part of the Gators championship-winning team of 2006 before being snapped up by the Jags in the 2007 Draft. He’d play three seasons in Jacksonville, but it was with the Cincinnati Bengals that he would see the most success as a safety, being named to the Pro Bowl in 2015. A year later, he would get the nod when with the Oakland Raiders.

Percy Harvin

Drafted 2009: Round 1 No. 22 – Minnesota Vikings

One of the most celebrated high school players in the mid-2000s, Harvin was a key player for the Gators from 2005-2008. He had a tremendous impact in Minnesota as a wide receiver, winning NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year. A spell with the Seahawks saw Harvin win Super Bowl XLVIII. Harvin finally retired in 2017.

Joe Haden

Drafted 2010: Round 1 No.7 – Cleveland Browns

A gifted safety and quarterback in high school, Haden eventually found his natural position as a cornerback. He gained Pro Bowl honors three times: twice for the Browns and once for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Haden would retire in 2021 after 12 seasons in the NFL.

Maurkice Pouncey

Drafted 2010: Round 1 No.18 – Pittsburgh Steelers

A standout center and Rimmington Award winner for the Gators, Pouncey spent his entire NFL career with the Steelers. He earned Pro Bowl recognition in nine of his 11 seasons in Pittsburgh. Pouncey announced his retirement in 2021. His twin brother, Mike, also played for the Gators and enjoyed a fine NFL career (see below).

Carlos Dunlap

Drafted 2010: Round 2 No. 54 – Cincinnati Bengals

The third Gator to come from the 2010 Draft and eventually be named as a Pro Bowl player, Dunlap had ten and a half seasons with the Bengals (Pro Bowl 2015 and 2016) as a defensive end. While his effectiveness would wane in the 2020s, he did manage to become a Super Bowl LVII champion with the Chiefs.

Mike Pouncey

Drafted 2011: Round 1 No. 15 – Miami Dolphins

A center like his brother Maurkice, Mike Pouncey declared for the Draft a year later than his twin. He was named to the Pro Bowl three times while with the Dolphins and once again with the Chargers in 2018.

Trent Brown

Drafted 2015: Round 7 No. 244 – San Francisco 49ers

The first player on this list to be still active in the NFL, Brown has bounced about a bit during his career, spending two seasons with the 49ers, two separate spells with the Patriots, as well as periods with the Bengals (his current team) and the Raiders. He got his Pro Bowl honors in 2019. He also won Super Bowl LIII with the Patriots.

Keanu Neal

Drafted 2016: Round 1 No. 17 – Atlanta Falcons

Neal had a strong start to his NFL career with the Falcons, earning Pro Bowl honors as a safety in 2017. Since 2020, things have been somewhat stop-start, with periods in Dallas, Tampa Bay, and Pittsburgh. A failed physical for the latter in 2024 has raised questions about his ongoing football career.

Kyle Pitts

Drafted 2021: Round 1 No.4 – Atlanta Falcons

The final name on this list, Pitts starred for the Gators, winning the John Mackey Award and being named Unanimous All-American in 2020. He’s become an important player for the Falcons across the past four seasons, earning his Pro Bowl nomination in 2021.

Special Mention: John James. The punter went undrafted in 1972, but he was picked up by the Atlanta Falcons, where he would become a three-time Pro Bowler. James led the NFL as punting yards leader in four seasons.