Top 3 Florida Gators Offensive Linemen of the 2010s
Here at GatorMaven, we're ringing in the new decade by taking a look at Florida Gators' past: Who were the top three players at each position for Florida over the past decade?
There were plenty of ups and downs within Florida football throughout the 2010s. Two head coaches began their Florida careers with back-to-back bowl game appearances, including Jim McElwain's 2016 SEC Championship appearance.
Both McElwain and his predecessor, Will Muschamp, were relieved of their duties within two years of their initial successes. McElwain survived only seven more games.
However, Florida is ending the decade on a positive note, trending upward with Dan Mullen taking the reins. His 20-5 record in two years, with back-to-back New Year's Six Bowl appearances on his résumé, naturally has Gator fans giddy for the 2020s.
But looking back on the 2010s, who were the top three players at each position for the Gators?
Today, we have the offensive line:
3. Trent Brown (2013-14)
Admittedly, I probably would not have Brown on this list if he has not had such a shockingly-good NFL career. He was never dominant at Florida, but he is now the most dominant UF offensive lineman in the NFL other than Maurkice Pouncey.
His senior year, however, something strange happened with Brown. Originally not a starter heading into his final season in orange and blue, an injury to Tyler Moore got him the starting gig at guard. In his first start against Georgia, UF rushed for 418 yards. For the rest of the year, while Brown started, the Gators averaged 187.7 yards a game.
2. D.J. Humphries (2012-14)
Humphries has carved out a solid NFL career since declaring for the NFL Draft after his junior season at Florida. Drafted in 2015 and selected 24th overall by the Arizona Cardinals, he is still a solid anchor starting at left tackle for Arizona's line.
At Florida, he was the starting left tackle the same season as Brown's senior year. Humphries was also responsible for that back half of 2014 where the Gators averaged almost 200 yards a game.
1. Jawaan Taylor (2016-18)
The starting right tackle of Florida's rebirth season in 2018, Taylor made himself a ton of money for the NFL Draft in his final season with the Gators. He is now the starting right tackle for the Jacksonville Jaguars after being selected in the second round. Taylor was a force all season and propelled running backs Jordan Scarlett and Lamical Perine to 1,602 yards rushing all while Florida only conceded 18 sacks all season.
Taylor was an anchor on the right side of the defensive line, constantly forcing defensive lineman to the second level and getting ball-carriers up the field in space. He is pretty obviously Florida's best lineman of the decade, and he did almost all of it in one season.
