D’Angelo Ponds highlights 11-man South Florida draft class on Day 2
It really is a sign of an evolving college landscape when arguably the most noteworthy South Florida prospects to be selected each of the first two days of the draft went to … Indiana.
But here we are. Real, alive. And D’Angelo Ponds, a former Hollywood Chaminade-Madonna College Preparatory School star-turned-Hoosier turned New York Jet, went at No. 50, headlining a band of 11 Florida college and high school players drafted in the second and third rounds of the NFL Draft on Friday.
Ponds was an All-American in 2025 at Indiana alongside Miami Christopher Columbus High School’s Fernando Mendoza, Thursday’s top pick. The Hoosiers threw everything they had trying to keep Ponds, going as far as to offer him “quarterback money” like Mendoza, he said on a podcast this month. Bloomington even temporarily renamed an actual pond in his likeness, before Indiana’s national championship in January.
He was bound for the draft, though, following a pair of All-Big Ten seasons and 19 passes defended across the two — atypical immediate production for a man who transferred from James Madison to the rust belt. But that’s kind of the 5-foot-9 Ponds’ act. During his time at Chaminade, he battled teammates such as Jeremiah Smith and Joshisa Trader, consistently holding his ground despite a height disadvantage. He did the same at the college level and became a key part of Indiana’s improbable rise in college football.
It might be too easy but Jets coach Aaron Glenn, a 5-foot-9 former defensive back, taking Ponds will certainly draw some comparative glances. “That’s definitely a compliment to me,” Ponds said on a video call with reporters.
What can New York expect? Everything South Florida has grown to know during the last decade.
“I would say I’m an aggressive, scrappy corner,” he said. “Can play inside, can play outside, just a guy who can attack, who can cover a man, cover his own coverage. You really get a player that can do it all.”
Four others with Florida ties joined Ponds in the second round. Former Fort Lauderdale Cardinal Gibbons destroyer R Mason Thomas actually went the highest among them at No. 40 to the Kansas City Chiefs. The Oklahoma edge rusher tallied 6.5 sacks last fall and nine the year before, cementing himself as a top 10 edge rusher in this draft class. Some mock drafts projected him as a late first-round pick, but his size (6-2, 250) concerned some front offices about how he would hold up against NFL offensive tackles.
Either way, landing with a team that’s played in five of the last seven Super Bowls — and needs an improved rush — isn’t a rough break.
“I didn’t expect this,” Thomas said. “I’m excited to know the ins and outs of what they actually do because on the outside of it, you don’t necessarily know.”
Florida center Jake Slaughter joined first-rounder Caleb Banks as the sole Gators to go through the first two rounds of the draft, falling to the Los Angeles Chargers at No. 63. That’s the fewest of any Florida batch since, well, the last two years. Under former coach Billy Napier, the Gators’ NFL output dwindled, best illustrated by the Gators having a single pick in 2024 and no selectees in the first three rounds last year.
The 2024 All-American was one of Florida’s sole bright spots during the past two seasons, anchoring an offensive line that ranked in the top 12 in the country in both run and pass blocking in 2024, per Pro Football Focus. Austin Barber, who lined up two spots to Slaughter’s left at tackle, also went to the Chargers with the 85th pick. Each was a North Florida high school product: Slaughter from Ocala and Barber from Jacksonville. Neither could save Florida’s line from regression last year, allowing 20 sacks.
Slaughter projects as the better prospect, though he’ll likely spend more time on the bench next season. The Chargers signed center Tyler Biadasz to a three-year, $30 million contract, which isn’t the type of investment second-round selections typically get the immediate nod over. Either way, Slaughter has all the tools to carve out a sustained NFL career.
“He drives his feet in the run game to wall off lanes and keep defenders busy,” The Athletic’s Dane Brugler said in his annual draft preview. “In pass protection, he struggles to sink and adjust in space, but has functional lateral movements and strains to finish base blocks. His ability to reset and stay attached combats longer, more powerful opponents.”
Among the others, St. Petersburg native Emmanuel McNeil-Warren (Lakewood High School) experienced the most drastic fall. The Toledo safety featured in a number of first-round mocks, but slid all the way to the Cleveland Browns at No. 58 due to the decreasing positional value of safeties. He was noticeably emotional on a conference call after the selection that kept him in Ohio.
“It means everything,” he said. “I’m going to give them everything I’ve got. We’re going to win a Super Bowl. I appreciate them not giving up on me.”
The highs and lows of draft day, as they so often go.
Here are the rest of the Florida selections from Day 2 (with their ties listed):
▪ No. 55, New England Patriots: Edge rusher Gabe Jacas (Fort Pierce Central High School)
▪ No. 65, Arizona Cardinals: Quarterback Carson Beck (UM)
▪ No. 68, Philadelphia Eagles: Offensive tackle Markel Bell (UM)
▪ No. 75, Miami Dolphins: Wide receiver Caleb Douglas (former UF)
▪ No. 85, Pittsburgh Steelers: Cornerback Daylen Everette (IMG Academy)
▪ No. 98, Minnesota Vikings: Safety Jakobe Thomas (UM)
The draft will continue on Saturday with Rounds 4 through 7.
