Former Gators Kicker Evan McPherson Drawing Plenty of NFL Interest

Evan McPherson's declaration for the 2021 NFL Draft came as a surprise to many, particularly Florida Gators fans who were confused to see him depart following his true junior season.

Now, we might have a better understanding of why he made such a choice.

McPherson has reportedly drawn plenty of interest from teams across the NFL as he prepares for the upcoming draft. According to Justin Melo of The Draft Network, McPherson has been in contact with the Cleveland Browns, Minnesota Vikings, Seattle Seahawks, New England Patriots, Miami Dolphins, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Atlanta Falcons, Carolina Panthers, Buffalo Bills, Cincinnati Bengals, Green Bay Packers, Indianapolis Colts, Denver Broncos, Dallas Cowboys, Arizona Cardinals, and San Francisco 49ers.

It is unclear whether or not McPherson has officially met with these teams virtually as other prospects have begun doing in recent weeks, but there is little doubt that teams are doing their homework on the former Gators three-year starter.

McPherson finished his UF career connecting on 51-of-60 (85%) of his field goal attempts, with a long of 55 yards and hitting 5-of-8 field goals from 50 or more yards. McPherson also went 149-of-150 on extra points and handled kickoff duties for the Gators, registering 43 touchbacks on 81 attempts.

As the NFL salary cap has been reduced by $15.7 million this offseason due to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, teams may be wise to move on from expensive, veteran members of their special teams unit in favor of inexpensive rookies. 

San Francisco kicker Robbie Gould led his position with a $5.7 million cap hit in 2020, while a total of 17 kickers counted for at least a $2 million against the cap this past season. For comparison, according to projections from Over the Cap, 2021 NFL Draft selections in the sixth round through the end of the draft are expected to make $3.6 million or less across the length of their four-year rookie deals. 

There could be a late run on special teamers in the upcoming draft in order to better handle to decrease in cap space. As one of the more intriguing and statistically proven kickers among the group this year, McPherson could be in a position to benefit from that.