{"id":246040,"date":"2026-04-25T09:44:09","date_gmt":"2026-04-25T09:44:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/246040\/"},"modified":"2026-04-25T09:44:09","modified_gmt":"2026-04-25T09:44:09","slug":"slaughter-barber-selected-on-day-2-of-the-2026-nfl-draft","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/246040\/","title":{"rendered":"Slaughter, Barber Selected on Day 2 of the 2026 NFL Draft"},"content":{"rendered":"

PITTSBURGH, Pa. \u2013\u00a0Florida football had two fifth-year offensive linemen drafted on the second day of the 2026 NFL Draft. All-American center Jake Slaughter<\/a> was drafted in the second round, 63rd overall, to the Los Angeles Chargers, while offensive tackle Austin Barber<\/a> heard his name called in the third round, pick No. 86, by the Cleveland Browns.
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\nBoth big men anchored Florida’s offensive line for the past half-decade, accumulating multiple All-American and All-SEC nods spanning their five-year Gators’ careers. The duo marks the seventh time in program history that multiple offensive linemen have been drafted in the same year and the first since 2015 (D.J. Humphries, Chaz Green, Max Garcia and Trent Brown).
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\nThe selections come after defensive tackle Caleb Banks<\/a> was selected 18th overall by the Minnesota Vikings Thursday.
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\nFlorida continued its streak of having a pick in every NFL Draft since 1967. UF is one of three schools, along with USC and Michigan, and is the only SEC program to achieve the mark.
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\nJake Slaughter<\/a> (Round 2, Pick 63 \u2013 Los Angeles Chargers)
\nSlaughter has served as the Gators’ starting center for the last three seasons, earning eight starts in 2023 and appearing in every game since 2022. The 2025 season saw Slaughter snap the ball 748 times and allowed just one sack, one quarterback hit and two hurries.
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\nOne of the most accomplished players in Florida football history, Slaughter became the 13th offensive lineman in program history to earn first-team All-America honors in 2024 (AP, ESPN, PFF) and first-team All-SEC honors in 2025 (SEC, AP, Phil Steele, PFF), was also named a finalist for the Rimington Trophy this season.
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\nSlaughter participated in the NFL Scouting Combine, posting a 32.5″ vertical jump and a 9′ 2″ broad jump while running a 5.1-second 40-yard dash. His Next Gen Stats Draft Model score of 83 ranks first amongst draft-eligible centers.
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\nThe Sparr, Fla., native earned his bachelor’s degree in Agricultural Education and Communication from the University of Florida in Spring 2025. He was tabbed as a four-time SEC Fall Academic Honor Roll member (2022-25) and SEC First-Year Academic Honor Roll during his true freshman season (2021-2022). Slaughter was also inducted into the Chi Alpha Sigma National College Athlete Honor Society in 2024 and the National Football Foundation (NFF) Hampshire Honor Society in 2026.
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\nSlaughter becomes the first center drafted since Max Garcia was selected in the fourth round of the 2014 draft.\u00a0He becomes the third-highest drafted center from Florida all time, and the highest since the Miami Dolphins selected Mike Pouncey 15th overall in the 2011 draft.\u00a0
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\nThe fifth-year center also marks the second consecutive draft where a Gator heard their name called by the Chargers, with safety Trikweze Bridges being selected by the Bolts in the seventh round of last year’s draft.
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\nAustin Barber<\/a> (Round 3, Pick 86 \u2013 Cleveland Browns)
\nA multi-year starter for the Gators, Barber has anchored the left side of Florida’s offensive line in every game he’s been available for since the start of the 2023 season (34 games). In 2025, Barber was named third-team All-SEC after playing 750 snaps for the Orange and Blue, finishing with a team-leading 90 run-blocking grade per Pro Football Focus (PFF).
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\nBarber entered the 2025 season fresh off a 2024 campaign that saw him log 729 snaps for an offensive line that slotted in as the eighth-best run-blocking and 12th-best pass-blocking unit in the country per PFF. Barber was named to the 2025 Outland Trophy Watch List as a result.
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\nIn 2022, his freshman season, Barber earned College Football News (CFN) Freshman All-American First Team honors while appearing in 13 games and making five starts at right tackle. The Jacksonville, Fla., native was a part of a line that allowed only five sacks this season. He ranked 33rd among all offensive tackles by PFF with a grade of 79.3.
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\nBarber graduated from the University of Florida in the Fall of 2024 with a degree in Education Sciences. He was named to four consecutive SEC Fall Academic Honor Rolls and was placed on the SEC First-Year Academic Honor Roll in 2021-22.
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\nDraft Notes<\/p>\n


\n\tWith today’s selection, Florida has had 383 players drafted all-time and 295 players selected since 1967.
\n\tThe Gators are tied for fifth among current SEC programs with 383 all-time draft picks.
\n\tUF’s 383 selections are good for the 10th most all-time.
\n\tJake Slaughter<\/a>
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\n\t\tEleventh Gator to be drafted to the Chargers all-time, sixth in the modern draft era.
\n\t\tFirst Gator center drafted since Max Garcia in 2014 (Round 4 – Denver Broncos).
\n\t\tThird-highest drafted Florida center (Mike Pouncey, No. 15 overall – Miami Dolphins; Maurkice Pouncey, No. 18 overall \u2013 Pittsburgh Steelers).
\n\t\tMark’s the 43rd Gator offensive lineman drafted since 1967.
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\n\tAustin Barber<\/a>
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\n\t\tTwelfth Gator selected by the Browns all-time and seventh in the modern draft era.
\n\t\tHighest Gator drafted by Cleveland since Joe Haden (Round 1, Pick 7 \u2013 2011)
\n\t\tEighteenth Florida offensive tackle taken since 1967 and first since Stone Forsythe (Round 6 \u2013 Seattle Seahawks).
\n\t\tHighest Gator offensive lineman taken since Jawaan Taylor (Round 2, Pick 35 \u2013 Jacksonville Jaguars).
\n\t\tMark’s the 44th Gator offensive lineman drafted since 1967.
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\n2026 NFL Draft Information
\nThe 2026 NFL Draft will be televised nationally by NFL Network, ABC, ESPN and ESPN Deportes. On-air coverage of the 2026 NFL Draft for the final day will begin at the time listed below:
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\nApril 25 (Saturday): Noon ET \u2013 NFL Network, ABC, ESPN, ESPN Deportes (Spanish)
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\n2026 Football Season Tickets
\nFollowing 18-straight, sold-out games at The Swamp, fans can now purchase season tickets to be part of the start of the Coach Sumrall era. The 2026 home schedule features six games against FAU (Sept. 5), Campbell (Sept. 12), Ole Miss (Sept. 26), South Carolina (Oct. 10), Oklahoma (Nov. 7), and Vanderbilt (Nov. 21).
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\nClick here to secure Season Tickets<\/a>
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