Florida Gators defensive back Marcus Roberson (5) against the Vanderbilt Commodores works out prior to the game at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
Florida Gators star cornerback Marcus Roberson has always been expected to declare for the 2014 NFL Draft, and we now have word that Roberson will indeed officially make the jump to the NFL. Gatorsports.com’s Pat Dooley reports that the Gators will officially announce Roberson’s decision later on today, and it’s a move that makes perfect sense and doesn’t come as a surprise at all.
Although Loucheiz Purifoy is the bigger name between the star CB duo that Florida has, Roberson is the better player. He isn’t better by a wide margin or anything, but he’s the better cover corner and has a better chance of having a more successful career than Purifoy. Roberson has enough talent to potentially develop into a shutdown corner in the NFL, and he’s also very polished and should be able to be at least average during his rookie season.
It will be interesting to see if Roberson ends up grading as a first rounder, but I think we will most likely see him come off the board in the second round. He isn’t as good as Darqueze Dennard or Jason Verrett, but he’s one of the top CBs in the 2014 NFL Draft class in his own right and really had nothing left to prove at UF. He rarely gives up any big plays, and his ability to hang with deep threats will be a sizeable asset for NFL teams, especially when he first starts out in the league.