2015 NFL Draft open thread: Florida's Dante Fowler, D.J. Humphries stride toward dreams

This hasn't been a great day for Florida Gators fans. I don't think I need to rehash why.

But it's going to be an awesome night for two Florida Gators.

Dante Fowler is the one everyone expected to be here. He was in the first round of virtually every mock draft all season, and his early exit for the NFL was the worst-kept secret in Gainesville last fall. He provides terrifying speed and quickness off the edge, and teams dying for pass-rushers in the pass-happy NFL have coveted him through the pre-draft process. He won't last long tonight.

D.J. Humphries is the one no one expected to be here. The NFL didn't even think he should be here; the league recommended he return to Florida after sending in paperwork to have his stock evaluated. But he came out anyway — and he's risen farther than any other prospect this year. Finally able to gain weight — without having to, you know, go to class or focus on other aspects of his physical condition, it gets easier to eat up — he can match his always-stellar athleticism with the bulk necessary to be an NFL tackle. And those are still rare.

Let this open thread be a celebration of them. They have earned this. They deserve this. And we deserve to be proud of and happy for them.

On this day, we kind of need to be, too.