GAINESVILLE, Fla.-- Jachai Polite walked towards the group of reporters at Gators Pro-Day already knowing the questions were coming.
After the season, the former Florida defensive end was projected to go in the first round of the NFL draft. But after a disastrous outing at the NFL combine in February, Polite saw his draft stock fall.
On Wednesday, Polite, who did not have to speak to the media, decided to face the music.
"It's been pretty tough, but it's a major learning experience for me, something I've never been through in my life," a candid Polite told reporters. "I just keep learning every day. Nobody in my family has been through anything like this, so I had nobody to help me, really, other than my agent. But I never knew how serious and how mentally tough you had to be for this moment. But I've learned from it and I'm doing better now."
"I think it’s probably an eye-opening experience, some of it, for him," said Florida head coach Dan Mullen. "Hopefully he handles it all the right way and his growth and development continue in the future.”
Polite regretted not being prepared enough for the combine, saying he took the line of questioning during interview a bit too personal.
"It was more intimidating for sure," he said. "The real me is not like short answers at all. I can explain myself. I just wasn't ready at all. I just wasn't ready mentally.
"At the end of the day they are trying to pay you to play for their team, so I get why they did everything they did," Polite added. "It wasn't really that bad, I just took it the wrong way and was frustrated."
Short answers or not, Polite also did not perform well on the field. Polite ran a 4.84-second 40-yard dash in Indianapolis, looking out of shape and overweight.
Not a good statement for a player whose draw is his explosiveness.
According to Polite, he hurt his hamstring just ten days before the combine - an injury he is still dealing with.
In addition to his injury, Polite was running with extra weight. The defensive lineman wanted to add weight to his frame in order to prepare for the next level, however, that backfired when he could not achieve the speed he wanted.
"I feel I could lose some, try to get more explosive," Polite said about his weight. "I just wanted to get my weight up knowing that the next level, they're bigger, stronger, faster. I just wanted to get my weight up first. I've just got to learn how to run with it and get used to it. It was just a quick transition."
At Florida's Pro Day, Polite weight in at 254, four pounds less than at the Combine - where he weight 20 pounds more than when he played in the Swamp.
On Wednesday, his hamstring and the extra weight still bothered him, running a 4.96 in the 40, according to the SEC Network.
"Ideally, I want to be like 248, something like that, 250. In that range."
Although Polite still has some ways to go, his Florida teammates are ready to go to bat for him.
“He’s the best pass rusher in this draft, and there’s some pretty good pass rushers in the draft," said his former teammate CeCe Jefferson. "But the things that he does, the way he’s able to twerk his body, the way his arsenal is, man, it’s something you see like every 15 years. He’s one of those guys that’s extremely rare. Guys like him don’t come around that often.
"To watch him practice and see it translate into games, I’m just extremely proud of him. He’s one of the hardest working guys I know.”
"He’s been a great player, a great teammate," added offensive lineman Jawaan Taylor. "I love Jachai. He works hard. I know he works hard. Wherever he goes in the draft, I’m gonna stay rooting for him.”
“He bought in. We had him for one year but in that year he bought in to what we’re trying to do. He wasn’t resistant in what we were doing," said Mullen.
"I mean if you look at maybe his testing numbers and the film don’t match up sometimes, hey, the most important number is how fast you play on the field," added Mullen. "I think he put up some great numbers doing that out on the field for us.”
Polite still has a chance to show NFL coaches and scouts the real him before the NFL draft, as meetings and individual workouts begin.
"They'll all be very crucial 'cause I don't know who's going to pick me. I don't know anything," said Polite. "I've just got to show them the real me 'cause that first wasn't really me. It was somebody that didn't know that much, but I've learned from it.
"I'm a humble guy, caring, outgoing," said an emotional Polite. "I'm just a great dude, great football player. I didn't really show them that, and I have to show them next time. I'm ready to do that."
