Florida Gators Show Out At Pro-Day As NFL Draft Looms Near
For two hours on a Wednesday afternoon, all eyes were on Gainesville, Florida. More specifically, on the Florida Gators Indoor Practice Facility. The Gators were hosting their Pro Day with 16 guys from the 2020 roster and four from past rosters all working out for NFL coaches and scouts. And with the event being broadcast nationally, those who couldn’t make it south tuned in to see what star tight end Kyle Pitts, star wide receiver Kadarius Toney and others would do a month ahead of the NFL Draft.
“I think an awful lot,” said Head Coach Dan Mullen of the day helping the program.
"You get a lot of exposure. I think for us, our players that are here currently in the program get to see these guys, see how much they work, see what they’re doing, see the performance they’re getting ready to put on. And then you have a lot of young guys around the country saying ‘hey, if I go to Florida, I’m going to have the opportunity to live my dream and go be a top NFL draft pick.”
Those participating were part of a transitional class for Dan Mullen and staff. Some were already in the program when Mullen arrived in 2018. Others were part of the first signing class for the staff, from freshmen to rookies. Regardless, they leave now having helped set the foundation and standard for what the Gators program should be, according to Mullen.
“It shows the character that the guys have and the work and the development of those guys. It wasn’t like every one of these guys was a five-star guy coming out of high school but they have great character, great work ethic, and they developed to a really high level to go live their dreams.”
Kyle Pitts
The Gators All-American tight end was the star of the show, as he was for much of the season as he shattered records. Projected to be a Top 10 pick in the upcoming draft, Pitts didn’t disappoint on Wednesday. Here were his final numbers.
Height: 6’ 5.5”
Weight: 245
Hand: 10 5/8
Arm: 33 1/2
Wing: 83 3/8
40-yd dash: 4.44/4.44 (NFL scout)
Vertical jump: 33.5
Broad jump: 10-9
Shuttle 4.30
3 Cone: 7.12
Benchpress: 22 reps
Pitts was always going to be a special talent, but it really took the 2020 offseason to transform him from “special” to “transcendent.” The Philadelphia native credits an acknowledgment of what was wrong with his game, and therefore what needed to be done to improve.
”I would say maybe last year. I knew I still had some things to fix and I knew once I fixed them that no one's gonna be able to stop me. So, once I put the work in, you know, during this pandemic that we went through and we weren't here in this building, I took that time, I feel like that helped me a lot, gaining weight, getting stronger, faster, so that when I came back, when we did have a season, that was great and I improved on what I wanted.”
Other things of note from Pitts:
He does plan to attend the NFL Draft in person. It will be held in Cleveland, Ohio this year.
Pitts says he hasn’t talked to every team but “a couple.” He’s projected in most mock drafts to the Atlanta Falcons (4) or the Cincinnati Bengals (5).
He says no team has talked to him about switching to receiver. Everyone wants to keep him at tight end.
Marco Wilson
Wow. What a day from the former Gator corner. He dominated the workouts and drills, putting up numbers that would have been some of if not the best amongst his position had the NFL Combine been held in Indianapolis this year. Here were his final numbers.
Height: 5’ 11.5”
Weight: 191
Hand: 9 5/8
Arm: 30 3/4
Wingspan: 73 1/2
40-yard dash: 4.37/4.37
Vertical jump: 43.5
Broad jump: 11-4
Shuttle: 4.13
3 Cone: 6.80
Benchpress: 26 reps
Wilson knew he needed a show stopper of a day to erase the image of him throwing a shoe, leading to a Gators loss to the LSU Tigers. He also needed to remind coaches and scouts of his skill set, leading to them checking his tape, looking beyond the strange 2020 season when he gave up big plays, and back to his first three seasons when he was one of the best corners in the college game.
“The A&M game was just a mix of miscommunication on the back end. No problem with play-making ability there. Sometimes the LSU play kind of gets brought up. But I don’t run away from it. It’s part of my life, and things happen. I just answer them in the way I need to, which is the LSU game, had a lot of energy. Made a good play. I was excited and just made an unfortunate mistake. That’s how that is. I wished it never happened, but things happen.
“Everything’s not going to go your way. Are you going to face adversity in life and see how this can affect my team, affect me, affect my family, stuff like that. It opened my eyes to a lot of things. Certainly not something I’d ever do again. If you watch my play, people might think I have mental issues, like, character issues, but that’s never the case. I’ve never gotten a personal foul like that in my life. You can cut the film break down and see that. I’m unhappy that it happened but happy at the same time, because it taught me a lot of lessons for moving forward in my life.”
Other things of note from Wilson:
He has been training at EXOS in Phoenix, Arizona
Despite running a STAT in the 40-yard dash, Wilson thinks it could have been faster, possibly even a 4.29, based on times he had in training.
The 22-year old has created a presence on Twitch and YouTube as a gamer the past few months
Kyle Trask
The Heisman finalist who broke numerous Florida passing records is considered the sixth best quarterback in the upcoming draft. He got a chance to remind teams on Wednesday though what he can do with a ball in his hands and a receiver streaking down the field. Here were his final numbers.
Height: 6’ 5.2”
Weight: 236
Hand: 10 1/8
Arm: 33
Wingspan: 80 5/8
40-yard dash: 5.10/5.12
Vertical jump: 31.5
Broad jump: 9-5
Shuttle: 4.60
3 Cone: 7.08
Bench press: DNP
When asked why Trask wasn’t receiving as much praise and hype as the five other top quarterbacks in the draft, offensive lineman Brett Heggie shook his head and said “I don’t get it. I just don’t get it.” It is one of the befuddling questions this draft, as quarterbacks who performed below Trask are projected to be drafted much higher. Does his game not translate to the NFL? Do teams think he’s a one-hit wonder? It’s an enigma. He began to make a better case for his stock on Wednesday.
"I just wanted to show that I'm not just a statue back there, that I can move,” said Trask of what he wanted to show coaches and scouts.
“I thought I tested well, thought my cone drills were solid. Also, I just wanted to show that I can burst out of the pocket, have little movements within the pocket and still be able to deliver an accurate ball consistently, and I thought I did a pretty good job of that today."
Other things of note from Trask:
The quarterback said he did not have surgery on his ankle after the offseason, but just did rehab for 8-10 weeks to address his high ankle sprain.
Since training for the draft, he’s dropped about 15 pounds.
He’s talked to most of the teams in the NFL through Zoom. Could he end up in Philadelphia with former offensive coordinator (and current Eagles quarterback coach) Brian Johnson? Trask laughs, “We'll see. I know that draft is crazy and I'll be happy where ever I go."
Kadarius Toney
One of the most electric guys to ever put on a Florida uniform is ready to do the same in the NFL. Toney has always been seen as a “gadget” player, but his precision and surgical like route running his senior year proved he can be a traditional receiver as well. And his performance on Wednesday made it clear he’s just as strong and capable as he is shifty. Here were his final numbers.
Height: 5’ 11.5”
Weight: 193
Hand: 9 1/4
Arm: 31 1/4
Wing: 74 3/4
40-yd: 4.41/4.39 (NFL scouts)
Vertical jump: 39.5
Broad jump: 11-4
Shuttle: 4.25
3 Cone: 6.88
Bench press: 9 reps
Toney has risen up draft boards the past couple of months, with many mock drafts now having him taken in the first round. The only real concern that comes up now is his music. Toney, in addition to being a dynamic football player, has credited a discography of popular rap songs.
“[Music] a hobby, but I’m going to carry it over throughout my life. That’s really gotten me through college in a way, as far as being able to express myself and different stuff I go through. I’ve always been there, like since I was younger. I never really took it serious until I got to college where I knew I had kind of a platform in a way and I was touching peoples’ lives. A few teammates love my music. Fans definitely love my music. I have DMs all the time, like, bro your music is so inspirational and stuff like that. I know the impact that it has on people, so I’ve been trying to keep it consistent.”
For Toney though, as much as he loves music, he thinks it’s insane to imagine it taking away from his devotion to football.
“I feel that was real disrespectful,” he said of the narrative.
"Like I don’t really, like come out here, make myself like ‘oh I’m an artist, I’m this and that.’ Know what I’m saying, like, that’s not my first priority. Like you see this right here, see this behind me, this is what I do 24/7. This is what I was born to do. Like I was almost born at the Senior Bowl, most people don’t know, but I was born really to play football. So it’s like, that’s kind of disrespectful when you try to tell me exactly what I do, how I do it and why. So I feel like I had to set the record straight, really just more of a, know what I’m saying, like don’t try to slander my football skills because I’m just as good at music. You know what I’m saying, like that’s dead wrong, that’s wrong.”
Other things of note from Toney:
He plans on spending draft night in Mobile with his family and friends
According to the former quarterback, he can throw 80-90 yards, something Kyle Trask kind of corroborated.
Trevon Grimes
The Gators deep-field threat finds himself in a crowded pass catching crew looking to be drafted in the coming weeks. Grimes knew he needed Wednesday to show his strength and set himself apart with a strong frame, so he set about to do exactly that. Here were his final numbers.
Height: 6’ 4”
Weight: 220
Hand: 9 3/8
Arm: 31 3/8
Wingspan: 76 5/8
40-yard dash: 4.51/4.49
Vertical jump: 35.0
Broad jump: 9-10
Shuttle: 4.28
3 Cone: 6.98
Bench press: 15 reps
Not only is the draft top heavy with pass catchers, Grimes own receiving corps was that way. He shared a field with Pitts and Toney, knowing it would be difficult to take too many reps away from generational talent. However, receiver coach Billy Gonzales has always preached to his guys that their reps might be less because of the rotation, but they would be of better quality. Grimes can attest to that, knowing his tape shows a downfield threat who was about to out muscle countless SEC defensive backs, particularly in the redzone. He also knows so many eyes being on Pitts and Toney could work to his advantage.
“Definitely playing with the best tight end in the country is going to be eyes on him. But you know that's also an opportunity for me because watching him, they also see me too, which is a very good thing for me and I've kind of capitalized on that. Teams have seen, seen what I can do when it comes to blocking and making those big catches and stuff like that so I kind of feel like having Kyle Pitts with me as well as Kadarius Toney helps me out a lot, just given the fact that who they are and who I am and all three of us, help each other out a lot.”
All stats are courtesy of Jim Nagy of the Senior Bowl. You can see his thread of stats for every Gator player’s Pro Day here.
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