It was a big weekend for several players with Seminole County ties when the 2025 NFL Draft was held over Thursday, Friday and Saturday.
Former Seminole High School standout wide receiver Jimmy Horn Jr. was selected in the Sixth Round with the 208th pick by the Carolina Panthers out of the University of Colorado, while UCF had a pair of draft picks in running back RJ Harvey in the second round with the 60th overall selection by the Denver Broncos and defensive back Mac McWilliams in the fifth round with pick No. 145 by the Super Bowl Champion Philadelphia Eagles and also had five others ink deals as undrafted free agents.
Also, former Knights quarterback Dillon Gabriel was selected with the No. 94 overall pick in the third round out of Oregon.
Horn caught 42 passes for 736 yards and nine touchdowns and also rushed for 196 yards and three touchdowns as a senior in helping lead the Fighting Seminoles to an undefeated and State Championship winning season.
The 5-foot-8, 174-pounder then matriculated to South Florida and caught 30 passes for 408 yards and one touchdown during his freshman season. As a sophomore, Horn had 37 receptions for 551 yards and three touchdowns and was named first team All-American Athletic Conference (AAC) as a kick returner after returning nine kickoffs for 209 yards and one touchdown.
With the advent of the transfer portal, Horn moved on to Colorado to play for Deion Sanders and caught 58 passes for 567 yards and six touchdowns as a junior and followed that up by averaging 10.3 yards per punt return last year for the Buffaloes and caught 37 passes for 441 yards and a touchdown.
Harvey's selection surpasses the previous mark held by Kevin Smith, who was taken 64th overall by the Detroit Lions in 2008. He also becomes UCF’s highest overall draft pick since defensive back Richie Grant was selected 40th overall by the Atlanta Falcons in 2021.
During his time in Orlando, the Orlando Edgewater High School product etched his name into the UCF record books, finishing as the program’s all-time leader in total touchdowns (48) and second in career rushing yards (3,792). He also recorded 43 rushing touchdowns, ranking second in school history. Harvey became a mainstay in the Knights’ backfield, earning national attention and multiple All-Big 12 honors.
In 2024, Harvey led the Big 12 Conference and ended the regular season with 1,577 rushing yards. His 22 rushing touchdowns tied for the third most in the nation and were the highest among conference running backs. With 25 total touchdowns (22 rushing, 3 receiving), he broke the UCF record for career touchdowns scored, finishing with 48 — two more than Kevin Smith.
Last season, Harvey rushed for more yards than 30 FBS programs, including 20 from Power Four Conferences and five within the Big 12. He became just the second player in UCF history to post back-to-back 1,000-yard rushing seasons, joining Marquette Smith (1994–95).
Harvey rushed for over 100 yards in nine of the Knights' 12 games, with a season-best 196 rushing yards and two touchdowns coming against No. 9 Iowa State.
The UCF star led the Big 12 with 152 points scored and ranked second in the country, trailing only Boise State’s Ashton Jeanty, while averaging 12.7 points per game. His 54 runs of 10 or more yards ranked second nationally and first in the conference.
For the second year in a row, Harvey was named a semifinalist for the Doak Walker Award, which honors the top collegiate running back in the country. The Orlando native made program history as the first UCF player to earn semifinalist honors twice or in consecutive seasons, and he was one of only three players nationwide to be a semifinalist in both 2023 and 2024.
In his lone season at UCF, McWilliams quickly emerged as a defensive standout. The Pensacola native started 11 games in 2024, recording 32 tackles (25 solo), 6.5 tackles for loss, one sack, one interception, and one forced fumble. He earned UCF’s top defensive grade from Pro Football Focus (81.6) and delivered key performances against nationally ranked opponents, highlighted by a six-tackle outing versus Colorado.
Prior to joining the Knights, McWilliams starred at UAB, where he served as a team captain and earned All-Conference USA honors. Over three seasons at UAB, he tallied 101 tackles, 13 pass breakups, and two interceptions, including a memorable 78-yard pick-six in 2022.
The Knights quintet inking Free Agent deals were Offensive lineman Amari Kight (Seattle Seahawks), wide receivers Kobe Hudson (Carolina Panthers) and Jacoby Jones (Washington Commanders), defensive tackle Ricky Barber (Washington Commanders), and defensive back BJ Adams (Miami Dolphins).
