Easley anywhere past the top 15 would be a huge mistake. Woody (via iPhone)
> On May 8, 2014, at 8:39 AM, Shane Ford <[email protected]> wrote: > > Projecting Gators in NFL draft > > > Former Florida defender Dominique Easley runs drills during a workout on > Florida Field with various NFL scouts on April 17 ahead of the NFL Draft. > Rob C. Witzel/The Gainesville Sun > By Robbie Andreu > GAINESVILLE SUN Staff writer > Published: Wednesday, May 7, 2014 at 5:07 p.m. > Last Modified: Wednesday, May 7, 2014 at 5:07 p.m. > > > Barring a late surprise Thursday night, the first round of the NFL draft > figures to be quiet and uneventful for Florida, a school that has been a > major player in round one over the past several years. > > Projecting Gators in the NFL draft > Dominique Easley - DT - 2nd or 3rd round > > Marcus Roberson - CB - 2nd or 3rd round > > Loucheiz Purifoy - CB - 3rd or 4th round > > Jaylen Watkins - CB - 3rd or 4th round > > Trey Burton - WR - 5th or 6th round > > Ronald Powell - OLB/DE - 5th or 6th round > > Jon Halapio - OG - 5th or 6th round > > Jon Harrison - C - 6th or 7th round > > Solomon Patton - WR - 6th or 7th round > > Damien Jacobs - DT - 7th round or free agent > > No Gators are expected to hear their name called in the first round Thursday, > although there has been recent speculation that defensive tackle Dominique > Easley, still recovering from his second ACL surgery in three years, could be > a surprise pick late in the round. > If that unexpected twist does not occur, Florida will be shut out in the > first round for only the second time in the past eight drafts. > The Gators had two first-round picks a year ago (Sharrif Floyd and Matt Elam) > — and have had 10 over the past seven years. Dating back to 2007, UF has had > a first-round pick in every year except 2012, when the highest Gator pick > (defensive tackle Jaye Howard) wasn’t selected until the fourth round. > Easley is considered a first-round talent by many, but with ACL surgery on > both his knees, the most recent being seven months ago, teams likely will be > reluctant to use a first-round pick on him. > “Dominique Easley probably could have been a second-round pick, maybe even a > late first had it not been for the injuries he had at Florida,” ESPN analyst > Mel Kiper said. “I think there’s a number of players unfortunately that got > hurt that would have been early-round picks. He’s one of that group. I’d say > third- to fourth-round area is where you could consider Easley.” > In a workout for NFL coaches and scouts three weeks ago in The Swamp, Easley > showed his explosive quickness and power in drills, and has since passed the > medical exams of several teams. Easley said he’s on track to be 100 percent > by the time NFL camps open in July. > “I don’t know exactly where he is because I haven’t done the individual > workout circuit,” ESPN analyst and former NFL head coach Jon Gruden said. “I > like him a lot before the injury. For a 4-3 defense, if you’re looking for an > under tackle, a pass rusher, a run defender, an all-around inside presence > with a good factor grade that can rush the quarterback, read and react, I > think Easley is a very good prospect. > “I thought he was certainly a top-50 player in the draft prior to the injury.” > Easley said he would like to be a first-round pick, but that’s not a > priority. He just wants an opportunity to get with a team and show what type > of player he is once he gets in camp. > “Hopefully (I regain my earlier draft projection), but I’m only worried about > what I’m going to do when I get to the team I’m going to be at,” he said. “I > don’t really pay any attention to that. I’ve shown that I can move, that I’ve > still got the quickness and get-up and the tenacity in everything I do. > “Everybody knows how I play. Everybody has seen my love for the game. > Everybody has seen my passion for it.” > Florida coach Will Muschamp certainly has seen it, and he’s been sharing his > feelings about Easley with the NFL coaches and scouts over the past few > months. > “You want him in your locker room,” Muschamp said. “He’s a really good > player, but I think his competitive edge is a huge talent he has, probably > his No. 1 talent. > “He’s got a great ceiling. He’s a guy who hasn’t played his best football > yet. He’s going to continue to get better and work at the game. He has great > passion for the game. He loves competition, he loves playing.” > Most are projecting Easley to get drafted in the second round or early in the > third. > While that would lead to an uneventful first round for the Gators on Thursday > night, the draft figures to have plenty of Florida flavor over the following > two days (and six rounds). > Overall, as many as eight or nine UF players could get drafted. > If Easley is not the first Gator off the board, it could be cornerback Marcus > Roberson, who could go late in the second round or early in the third. > The other two UF cornerbacks in the draft — Jaylen Watkins and Loucheiz > Purifoy — also could go on the second day (rounds two and three), although > some are projecting Purifoy to fall to the fourth round or even later. > Roberson and Purifoy were considered possible high draft picks at one point, > but damaged their chances of going in the first two rounds when they recorded > the same poor time (4.61 seconds) in the 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine. > “Roberson and Purifoy looked like first or second-rounders at one point,” > Kiper said. “Then they ran those slow 40s (at the Combine and at UF’s Pro > Day) and didn’t test out well. I would say Roberson goes in the third round; > Purifoy in the third or fourth round.” > Muschamp said the NFL coaches and scouts know Roberson and Purifoy can play. > “Those guys play a lot faster than their 40 time,” Muschamp said. “A lot of > the coaches and scouts commented that they play faster than their times. At > the end of the day, they’re going to watch tape. That’s what matters.” > Muschamp said wide receiver Solomon Patton is another Gator who has shown he > can play at the next level. > “No question, he’s going to find a role (in the NFL),” Muschamp said. “He can > play slot receiver, he can return kicks. He’s one of the best kick cover guys > I’ve been around. He’s a guy who is going to make a team.” > Contact Robbie Andreu at 352-374-5022 or > mailto:[email protected].%20Also%20check%20out%20Andreu's%20blog%20at%20Gatorsports.com. > > -- > -- > GATORS: ONE VOICE ON SATURDAY - NO VOICE ON SUNDAY! > 1996 National Football Champions | 2006 National Basketball Champions > 2006 National Football Champions | 2007 National Basketball Champions > 2008 National Football Champions | > Three Heisman Trophy winners: Steve Spurrier (1966), Danny Wuerffel (1996), > Tim Tebow (2007) - Visit our website at www.gatornet.us > --- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "GatorNews" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > email to [email protected]. > For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout. -- -- GATORS: ONE VOICE ON SATURDAY - NO VOICE ON SUNDAY! 1996 National Football Champions | 2006 National Basketball Champions 2006 National Football Champions | 2007 National Basketball Champions 2008 National Football Champions | Three Heisman Trophy winners: Steve Spurrier (1966), Danny Wuerffel (1996), Tim Tebow (2007) - Visit our website at www.gatornet.us --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "GatorTalk" group. 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