3 Underrated Florida Gators Taking Part in Wednesday's Pro Day
Everyone knows about former Florida Gators quarterback Kyle Trask, or potentially generational tight end Kyle Pitts and receiver Kadarius Toney, but there are some players that are being overlooked in the draft process.
On Wednesday, Florida will host its pre-draft NFL showcase Pro Day to give scouts an up-close-and-personal look at several of the top draft prospects in this year's upcoming 2021 NFL Draft. To see a full list of the participants and some background, click here.
Three players who perhaps deserve more attention from Florida's program include safety Shawn Davis, defensive tackle Kyree Campbell and offensive tackle Stone Forsythe.
All three players ended their Florida tenure on a high note.
Shawn Davis, Safety
While Davis isn't a highly-touted safety prospect this year, he demonstrated plenty of ability during his tenure at Florida. In four years at the program, Davis accounted for 123 tackles (76 solos), 5.5 tackles for loss, five interceptions and 10 pass breakups. He was a starter for his final three years, playing in 32 games total.
Davis possesses enough toughness, instincts and range to play at the next level. While he doesn't necessarily have the physical attributes to light up a draft room, listed at 5-foot-10, 199 pounds at the Senior Bowl, he does have enough upstairs to get the job done and the physicality that is necessary for the safety position in the NFL.
While Davis missed several games last season due to injury, he was able to provide Florida's secondary with enough to make up for the deficiencies at times. He played the role of the team's leader on the back end, something that Florida will need to replace moving forward.
He has a knack for finding the football, earning all five of his career interceptions over the past two seasons (3 in 2019, 2 in 2020). During Wednesday's pro day, it will be important for him to show off some of his athleticism to see where he lines up in a weaker safety class than typical.
Kyree Campbell, defensive tackle
Campbell was the rock for the Florida Gators defensive line in 2020. He would miss the first three weeks of the season last year due to undisclosed reasons before returning, allowing Florida to perform at its highest level along the defensive front.
In his four-year career at Florida, Campbell accounted for 112 tackles (31 solos), five sacks and 11.5 tackles for loss. His role with the Florida defensive line was to eat up blockers. Standing at 6-foot-4, 295 pounds, he played that role perfectly. He was dominant at his position at times, making the Florida defensive front one of the tops in the nation.
"I think No. 1 the impact, if you were to look at statistically games played with him and games played without him, it would be a substantial difference. In everything, not only the runs but third-down efficiency, I mean and that kind of goes back to the runs because you have to do third-and-long and that kind of deal," Gators defensive coordinator said of Campbell in November last year.
"Also the attitude can be contagious, meaning that type of competitive fire, that relentless desire to be a really physical player can rub off on people. It can help during the course of the game so I think all of that is the reason we’re making progress and moving where we need to, and he has a lot of credit for that.”
Campbell will certainly need some work as he makes his way into the NFL, and showing off his strength at the bench press and athleticism in the other drills will do him a service.
Stone Forsythe, Offensive tackle
Perhaps the most underrated and the most talented player on this list, Forsythe has plenty to prove at UF's pro day. He finished his career with 40 games played, 28 starts and appeared and started in all 12 games last season.
He is listed officially at 6-foot-9, 312 pounds, and the mountain of a man at left tackle does present that size on the gridiron, though it will be intriguing to see where he officially is measured on Wednesday.
Regardless of his size, Forsythe took major strides as a pass protector for Trask last season, earning himself a Pro Football Focus grade of 76.9, ranking him 14th in the country among draft-eligible tackles who participated in at least 287 pass-blocking snaps. He gave up just two sacks and eight hurries, according to PFF.
"I think Stone has done a very good job this year and hasn't gotten a whole lot of credit for the way he's playing this season. And I think he really should because he's pretty much been locking it down there on the left side this whole season," said Trask in November.
"He's got a lot of games under his belt, and he's understanding the 'why' behind what we're doing things, too. So, he knows why we're running certain plays or calling certain protections."
Forsythe is a bully in pass protection, routinely "stoning" players that cross his path on a weekly basis.
While the offensive tackle class for this year's draft is deep, don't be surprised to see Forsythe rise due to his skills and size, along with what he will showcase on pro day.
