2022 Florida Gators Pro Day Results and Observations
Photo: Kaiir Elam; Credit: Zach Goodall
For the final time in their post-collegiate careers, the draft-eligible prospects for the Florida Gators worked out and performed in front of pro scouts, coaches and other observers to get an idea of what they'll bring to the table at the next level, whether that's in the NFL or otherwise.
16 total former Gators participated, including 14 draft-eligible players and two returning players who were not fortunate to join the NFL ranks last year.
Representatives from 28 out of 32 of the NFL teams were observed throughout the day, with plenty of coaches joining as well including Jacksonville Jaguars defensive line coach Brentson Buckner and running backs coach Bernie Parmalee, local coaches to north Florida.
Though all participants were observed, there were perhaps more eyes set on at least a couple of the players including defensive lineman Zachary Carter, running back Dameon Pierce and cornerback Kaiir Elam, the three players that are expected to get plenty of looks from NFL teams.
Still, the majority of the players did participate and we obtained the results from a couple of drills, including the 40-yard dash, vertical jump and 20-yard-shuttle drills.
The school provided us with unofficial times for each player that ran the 40-yard dash. Some players were unable to finish either after their first attempt or second attempt. Below are the results in seconds with the first attempt followed by the second attempt:
Lacedrick Brunson: 5.0, 5.03
Zachary Carter: 5.06
Malik Davis: 4.71, 4.78
Jean Delance: 5.26, 5.35
Jeremiah Moon: 4.89, DNF
Daquan Newkirk: 5.37, 5.45
Stewart Reese: 5.58, DNF
Nick Sutton: 5.02. 5.02
Tyrone Truesdell: DNF
Antonio Valentino: 5.28. 5.37
Kyree Campbell: 5.75, 5.05
Brett DioGuardi: 5.48
Though the players participated in today's Pro Day on artificial turf, it didn't seem to make them run much faster. For example, Carter ran an official 4.99 40-yard-dash at the NFL Combine last month, but was unable to replicate that score, and ran just once today.
Elam did not participate in the drill, standing on his time of 4.39 seconds at the combine, as did Pierce, who ran a time of 4.59 seconds at the combine.
Perhaps the most impressive drill of the day was the vertical jump, which saw an incredible finish for Davis, who was not invited to the NFL Combine and was able to put his numbers on papers for scouts today.
Elam, who only ran his 40-yard-dash at the Combine, was also able to showcase his talents in the explosion drill.
Below are the unofficial scores, in inches, for the vertical hump today among those that participated in the drill. Scores were provided by the school:
Lacedrick Brunson: 31”
Malik Davis: 39.5”
Jean Delance: 28.5”
Daquan Newkirk: 25.5”
Kaiir Elam: 37.5”
Tyrone Truesdell: 25.5”
Antonio Valentino: 29.5”
Stewart Reese: 24”
Nick Sutton: 30.5”
The star of the drill, of course, was Davis. With a jump of 39.5 inches, he would have posted the second-best jump among all participants at the combine behind just Iowa State's Breece Hall. The numbers are not surprising as Davis often looked explosive while at Florida, but injuries derailed much of his career.
Speaking with reporters after the event today, Davis said he felt good out there even with his injury-riddled past.
“It felt pretty good. It’s always questions about my injuries," said Davis. "I rehabbed after each injury hard and every day. I think today that showed.”
Davis is set to meet with a host of teams including a visit to the Dallas Cowboys and Tampa Bay Buccaneers soon.
As for Elam, his jump of 37.5 inches would tie him with USC cornerback Chris Steele at the NFL Combine, good for the fourth-best among all participants.
Another drill recorded during the day was the 20-yard-shuttle, or Pro Shuttle, which is a general agility-drill test for prospects.
Below are the unofficial results provided by the school for those drills with Elam posting the best result at 4.21 seconds:
Lacedrick Brunson:4.71s
Malik Davis: 4.25s
Jean Delance: 4.65s
Daquan Newkirk: 4.90s
Kaiir Elam: 4.21s
Antonio Valentino: 4.69s
Stewart Reese: 5.15s
Nick Sutton: 4.66s
Zach Carter: 4.30s
Carter's time of 4.30 seconds would put him as the fourth-best among all defensive end participants at the combine. At 285 pounds today, Carter will likely play both inside and out. Against defensive tackles, Carter's time would have been the best score among all DT participants at the combine.
Elam's time, of course, is also impressive, though many DBs didn't run the drill during the combine in late February.
Bonus observations:
- Carter worked out extensively with Jaguars DL coach Brentson Buckner and has a visit scheduled with the Jaguars sometime this week. He's slated to be selected in the mid-rounds of this year's upcoming draft.
- Backs Pierce and Davis both were very active in their position drills, working out in front of several NFL Scouts and coaches including Jaguars RB coach Bernie Parmalee and Titans RB coach Tony Dews.
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