List of Florida State Seminoles who should interest Cowboys in 2023

What makes college football so great is the pageantry, the tradition of each one of the stadiums, fan bases, and programs. When one sees those tomahawk chops and hear that war chant it is synonymous with Florida State football. FSU is a storied program that has won three national championships, produced three Heisman trophy winners (Charlie Ward, Chris Weinke, and Jameis Winston) and a long list of NFL players who have gone on to have successful professional careers. The Seminoles have five players inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame including legendary Dallas Cowboy Deion Sanders. That list also includes Fred Biletnikoff, Derrick Brooks, Walter Jones and most recently LeRoy Butler who was inducted this year.

Despite the Cowboys success with other blue blood programs, Dallas has only drafted nine players from FSU with the most recent player being cornerback Marquez White in 2017. However, that number could look different if they chose to draft Jalen Ramsey over Ezekiel Elliot in 2016, which many believe they should have done or if Derwin James would have made it to pick 19 in the 2018 Draft.

Florida State only had one player drafted in 2022 (Jermaine Johnson, No. 26 overall) but that is sure to change in this year’s draft as the Seminoles have a few players earning high marks amongst evaluators.

Today we start our school spotlight series with the Florida State Seminoles and some of their draftable prospects.

Jared Verse

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Position: Defensive End

Hometown: Dayton, Ohio

High School: Central Columbia (Penn)

Height: 6-foot-5

Weight: 248

Class: Redshirt Sophomore

Verse was a standout defender at the University of Albany before ultimately deciding he was ready to take his talents elsewhere. Verse had a litany of high profile offers but, in the end, chose Florida State over other schools that include Tennessee, Miami, Houston, USC, Florida and Texas to name a few. One of the things that attracted Verse to Florida State was how they deployed Jermaine Johnson and help turn him into a first-round pick last year.

Verse stated that “They’ve been talking to me about how they’ll use me. Jermaine (Johnson) and Keir Thomas just came out of the situation that I’m literally in. Two transfers guys that played one year and are about to go to the league and get drafted. I’m looking at that situation like, ‘Oh yeah, that could be me.’’

So far, the transition is going extremely well for Verse who is proving to evaluators that the uptick in talent he is now facing is not an issue. Verse has had a major impact through two games at Florida State most notably on Saturdays win versus LSU where he recorded three tackles, two sacks and forced three holding calls.

Verse flashes speed to power to walk blockers back to the quarterback and has more than enough bend to capture the corner and finish at the quarterback. If he continues his ascension through the season, he has a chance to solidify himself as a top 50 selection based off his skill set as well as position importance.

Fabien Lovett

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Position: Defensive Tackle

Hometown: Vicksburg, Mississippi

High School: Olive Branch

Height: 6-foot-4

Weight: 318

Class: Redshirt Junior

Lovett transferred from Mississippi St. to Florida State before the 2020-2021 season and has been a steady force on the interior of the defensive line. He has started 13 games and has 44 tackles, 6 tackles for loss, and three sacks. Lovett is scheme flexible projecting as a defender that can play both in an odd or even front.

He is not easily moved at the point of attack and has some up field rush ability. Lovett progression this season will be key in his evaluation and if he continues to show off his versatility should hear his name called sometime on day two or three of next April’s draft.

Jamie Robinson

Position: Nickle-back/Safety

Hometown: Cordele, GA

High School: Lee County

Height: 5-foot-11

Weight: 203

Class: Redshirt Jr.

Yet another transfer who has made his way down to Tallahassee, Robinson has played a lot of football throughout his collegiate career, something NFL teams covet. Before arriving at Florida State Robinson appeared in 22 games with 13 starts in two seasons at South Carolina, recording 136 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, two interceptions, and eight pass break ups. Robinson also earned All-SEC Freshman honors in 2019.

It has been much of the same for the do-it-all safety since his arrival on Florida State’s campus as he appeared in 12 games, starting 11 of them. Last year he lead the team in tackles with 85 and interceptions with four. He also added three pass break ups and two forced fumbles. He was first team All-ACC in 2021 and was a Phil Steele All-American honorable mention.

He is a little undersized, but he plays bigger that his 5-foot-11 frame. Robinson is a solid tackler and has translatable ball skills. Robinson was a pre-season All-American according to Phil Steele and has a chance to solidify his draft status with a productive year on the field and a good pre-draft process.

The Seminoles have their fair share of players making an impact across a variety of position groups in the NFL. Arguably the best cornerback in the NFL, Jalen Ramsey, is a Seminole. Derwin James and Dalvin Cook are at the top or near the top of their perspective position groups. Jameis Winston was the No. 1 pick in the 2015 Draft, the highest drafted Seminole of all-time, is the starting quarterback of the New Orleans Saints and has had his moments as a professional.

Brian Burns, Cam Akers, and Josh Sweat have not only been productive but are due for breakout years provided they stay healthy and continue with their ascension. To round it out they have a couple first and second-year players who should play major roles on their teams. Johnson was the 26th overall pick of the New York Jets and Asante Samuel Jr., of the Los Angeles Chargers was coveted by Cowboys media and fans during the pre-draft process.

There might not be a Ramsey or a Cook in this year’s class, but in the right situation all of these players can be impact players on Sunday.

Story originally appeared on Cowboys Wire