Five Florida Gators leaving school early to enter 2017 NFL Draft

There's a lot of talent to replace in Gainesville

Florida managed to win the SEC East for the second straight season in 2016, but if it's looking to pull off a three-peat next season, it will have to replace a lot of talent to do so. Every team in the country loses talent, but not all of them lose multiple players early like the Gators are.

Florida will lose five players with eligibility remaining to the NFL Draft. Cornerbacks Quincy Wilson and Teez Tabor, defensive tackle Caleb Brantley, linebacker Alex Anzalone and offensive tackle David Sharpe have all announced their intentions to leave the school early.

Both Wilson and Tabor will be considered among the top corners available in the draft. In fact, depending on whom you ask, Tabor may be the highest-ranked corner in the class, and he's expected to be a first round pick. It will be interesting to see what happens to him during the interview process because he had some ups and downs during his time in Gainesville.

While nobody questions his ability on the field, the All-American was suspended during his sophomore season after refusing to take a drug test.

Wilson may not be as highly rated as Tabor, but he's projected to be a second round pick himself.

Caleb Brantley, who finished with 31 tackles, 2.5 sacks and 9.5 tackles for a loss this season from the defensive tackle spot, is projected to go in the second round as well.

Linebacker Alex Anzalone was a major force when on the field for the Gators, as he racked up 53 tackles and three sacks in only eight games this year, but the key part of that sentence is "on the field." He's had a rough time doing that the last couple of seasons. He suffered a serious shoulder injury that limited him to two games in 2015, and missed Florida's final five games of the 2016 season with a broken arm.

Talent and production-wise, Anzalone would be a second or third round pick, but it remains to be seen how hesitant NFL teams will be with him due to the injury history.

Finally there's David Sharpe, who was solid at left tackle for Florida, and should prove to be a solid pro. The former four-star recruit is projected to be a fourth round pick.