Arizona Cardinals select Florida Gators OT D.J. Humphries with No. 24 pick of 2015 NFL Draft

By Adam Silverstein
April 30, 2015

An athletic lineman who raised his stock significantly over the last few months, Florida Gators offensive tackle D.J. Humphries was selected by the Arizona Cardinals with the No. 24 overall pick in the first round of the 2015 NFL Draft on Thursday evening.

Humphries, an early entrant whose draft declaration came as a surprise to some due to his level of production with the Gators, was quickly recognized by analysts as one of the top offensive tackles available in the draft and soon given a first-round grade. Since leaving Florida, Humphries has gained 23 pounds with the increase in size calming a lot of concerns held by scouts and front office executives.

He is seen as a player who is rough and tough with an edge and possesses a high ceiling. Humphries’s athleticism and versatility as a second-level blocker allowed him to stand out from his competition on draft day.

Starting 19-of-29 games over the last three seasons, Humphries missed seven contests over the last two campaigns due to injury. His health has never been a concern for teams, however.

Humphries is the 13th Florida player to be drafted in the first round of the draft in the last nine years and 48th in school history, dating back to 1936. He is also the seventh Gators player to be picked by the Cardinals franchise in the history of the NFL Draft (third since the team moved to the state of Arizona, following Johnny Rutledge in 1999) and will be the only UF player on the team’s roster.

Marcus Gilbert (2011) was the last Florida offensive tackle selected in the draft.

Earlier Thursday evening, defensive end Dante Fowler Jr. was selected No. 3 overall by the Jacksonville Jaguars.