GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The Florida Gators held their annual pro day Wednesday and 17 former Gators from their 2018 roster participated in front of scouts fro mall 32 NFL teams.
That wasn’t the case last year though and a lot has changed from this time in 2017, due in large part to Dan Mullen and the staff he has brought in, particularly new strength coach Nick Savage.
"It would be very hard to start off,” Jachai Polite said of how different of a position he would be in without the new staff. “Because Savage and Mullen, they got our team right. That's why all these people are here, because it's a team sport.
“All these teams are out here because we won, we had a great season. If we would have went 4-7 again, it wouldn't have happened like this. It wouldn't be like this. Not a lot of teams want losing teams, losing players on their team. But yeah, it would have been completely different I think."
Mullen and the Gators finished 2018 at 10-3 and a top-ten finish in the final rankings after setting a new precedent at Florida. And their new attitude and work ethic had made their players ready for the next level.
“It prepared me a lot,” CeCe Jefferson said of how much this season prepared him. “Those are hard-nosed, tough coaches. They’re the same way every time you see them. Nothing’s going to change. Once you get that consistent energy, it kind of rubs off on you. It makes you want to get up early and work hard.
“It makes you want to run that extra spring. It makes you be that leader when you’re tired and everybody else is tired, but somebody’s got to step up and do it. Little things like that just add up, and you can slowly see the progression and change as you go on. It makes you become a better man and a better person and a better leader, so hats off to those guys.
“I’m happy they’re here. Just wait, man. This year or next year, the Gators will make the National Championship. All those guys have gotta do is just buy in to Coach Mullen and Coach Savage’s program. Everything else will take care of itself.”
This group only partnered with Mullen and Savage and the rest of the coaching staff for just one season and they were able to make major strides they hadn’t done the previous three years, and they know they were going to from day one.
“We already knew they were going to come in tough on us,” Jawaan Taylor said. “They expected a lot out of us from Day 1….It paid off a lot. We all dialed in, and it seemed like it paid off for us during the season.”
These Gators would not be in the same position they are in without the help of the new staff. Some of the underclassman may not have felt confident they were ready for the next level. Some seniors wouldn’t be anywhere on a draft board and they are all thankful.
"No I would say no,” Vosean Joseph said when asked if he would be here without Mullen and Savage. “They put us in the best predicament as players. It's just a great program here and everything about it just up to the top notch and I just really respect them for that."
Gator Chomps: Individual performances and what’s next
Out of the 17 performers from Florida’s pro day five spoke to the media following their performances. Gators offensive lineman Taylor came in as the highest rated prospect on draft boards.
He is still nursing a hamstring injury and did not run the 40, but did participate in on-field workouts and drills.
“I did pretty good,” Taylor said. “I felt like I had a good performance in positional work.”
As a potential top-ten pick, Taylor has met with numerous teams already and has more scheduled following today’s workout leading up to draft day.
“Right now, I think five so far,” Taylor said of how many he has left. “I think the first one is Buffalo, Jacksonville, Atlanta, I’m trying to think … there’s a few more.”
Fellow offensive lineman Martez Ivey was also on hand and he has been battling a calf injury throughout the draft process. He injured it before the combine and was unable to do much of anything.
He has been focused on rehabbing and did not perform the bench, 40-yard dash, the cone drill or the L drill. Similarly to Taylor though he did power through on-field position drills.
“I believe I showed them today like I got this injury, but this isn't going to stop me,” Ivey said. “I felt like I performed well, you know, coming off a month of not being able to do much but just rehabbing you know my calf, and coming out here and performing and just showing I'm a competitor, I can keep up with the best, you know, just set myself up for a long future.”
Although Ivey wasn’t able to perform on the field the way he would have like it hasn’t deterred teams from seeking his skills at the next level.
"I know going after pro day, the 12th I'm going to Tampa Bay, talk to the Jags,” Ivey said. “I'm going up there the 16th as well to go work out with them. Then some local camps. I mean I've met with the Eagles. I met with the Giants. Also I met with the Patriots last night as well. I met with the Houston Texans yesterday as well."
The guy everybody has been asking about has been defensive edge rusher Jachai Polite. Following a poor performance at the combine, Polite knew he had to come out and change the narrative around him at his pro day.
“I had to prove that I could come out here and compete 'cause it wasn't that good of a Combine for me, which we all know,” Polite said. “I just wanted to improve and try to get my hamstring better so I can compete with my teammates."
Polite ran one forty before starting to limp a bit and electing not to run his second after straining his hamstring again. However, he didn’t let that stop him from performing the individual position drills.
"I just wanted to get out there and move around a little, show them I can do a little something at least because my hamstring has been bothering me,” Polite said. “It's been tweaked a little bit. But I'm still the same guy. Nothing really changed."
Jefferson and Joseph both spoke to the media as well, but neither commented on how their days went. Jefferson looked very solid, especially through drills and he participated in everything.
He dropped seven pounds and said he weighed in at 260 Wednesday, which helped with the fluidity of his hips and allowed for more explosion. He says he does not know of any visits yet.
Joseph, who is also nursing an injury, did not participate in the 40, but did take part in position-specific drills and other basic drills such as the three-cone drill and shuttle. He said following the day he does not focus on feedback from NFL teams.
"I don't really worry about all that, I just play football and try to do everything I can to be put in the best situation," Joseph said. Whoever wanna draft Vosean Joseph, just draft him and you gonna get a dog, that's how I see it."
Finally, Gators nickel Chauncey Gardner-Johnson and running back Jordan Scarlett also participated in the on-field workouts only and both looked solid with Gardner-Johnson looking the most impressive on the day. Neither interviewed following their day.
