Gators' Trikweze Bridges Garnering Draft Hype

"I like guys with length and versatility, and Trikweze Bridges from Florida, and formerly of Oregon. And, you think about the Gators, Field, they were really flying under the radar," Kiper Jr. explained. "They got off to that rough start, they're not going to win many games. Hey, they looked pretty good down the stretch. (Bridges) was a key guy."

Bridges garnered praise throughout the season due to his ability to play multiple positions in the defensive backfield. Originally brought in to provide depth at safety, Bridges quickly became a starter following an injury to Asa Turner and other struggles by other players.

However, more injuries at the boundary corner spots, most notably to Jason Marshall Jr. and Devin Moore, forced Bridges to move there during the back-half of the season. He also has the ability to play in the slot.

"Trikweze Bridges, Field, when you come out of this and you put it all on paper and you say, 'Where do these guys stack up and where do they line up?' With his size, his length, his physicality, Trikweze Bridges, to me, is very under-the-radar. I haven't heard his name a lot. I'm bringing it up now because I watched him all year, impressed me at Florida."

In his lone season with the Gators, Bridges led the team with 70 total tackles (38 solo) while adding two interceptions, two forced fumbles and six pass breakups to his stats. He recorded at least 10 total tackles in three of Florida's 13 games, most notably an 11-tackle effort in the Gators' upset win over Ole Miss.

"Don't underestimate Trikweze Bridges, the position flexibility. What an incredible finish to his career. Scouts are very high on him here in the last couple weeks," head coach Billy Napier said Nov. 25.

He was also one of three Gators to record an interception in the Gasparilla Bowl win over Tulane and was an integral piece to Florida finishing the season with a four-game winning streak after a 4-5 start.

"I feel like anything is possible. At the beginning of the season, based on their season last year. We came out the beginning of the season, it was rocky and stuff like that," Bridges said prior to the bowl game. "But the biggest thing is believing in each other and believing in ourselves. You have that faith and you have that trust in yourself. Everything can change. Believe in yourself and believe in the team."

The NFL Draft begins on April 24 with the first round before concluding on April 26.