5 Takeaways from Florida’s Pro Day

is Draft Season, folks. And that means a lot of Pro Days. The Florida Gators were no exception, as they held their 2022 Pro Day on Monday, March 28. In total, 16 players worked out in front of scouts, assistant coaches and media. Here they are, followed by my biggest takeaways from the event:

• LB Lacedrick Brunson
• DL Kyree Campbell
• DL Zachary Carter
• K Jace Christmann
• RB Malik Davis
• OL Jean Delance
• LS Brett Dioguardi
• DB Kaiir Elam
• LB Jeremiah Moon
• DL Daquan Newkirk
• RB Dameon Pierce
• OL Stewart Reese
• DB Nicolas Sutton
• DL Tyrone Truesdell
• DL Antonio Valentino
• WR Rick Wells

TONS OF LEAGUE-WIDE INTEREST 

As expected, there was a large crowd attending Florida’s Pro Day. As of Monday morning, 28 NFL teams were expected to attend. However, the NFL’s owners meetings were also going on in South Florida, so no head coaches or general managers were in attendance. I made out 19 NFL teams, though there were undoubtedly more representatives at the event than just these teams:

• Bears
• Bengals
• Browns
• Bucs
• Chargers
• Chiefs
• Commanders
• Cowboys
• Eagles
• Falcons
• Giants
• Jaguars
• Jets
• Packers
• Patriots
• Rams
• Ravens
• Seahawks
• Steelers

I also spotted two representatives from the CFL. A representative from the XFL also requested a credentialb ut I did not see them.

KAIIR ELAM POSTS SATISFYING NUMBERS

Cornerback Kaiir Elam has drawn first-round consideration and his Pro Day did nothing to extinguish such opinions. He unofficially posted a 37.5-inch vertical jump, which would’ve been tied for fourth among all cornerbacks at the NFL Scouting Combine.

After posting a 4.39-second 40-time at the Combine, Elam decided not to run the drill back at Florida. He did, however, post a 4.21-second pro shuttle and 10 reps on the bench press. Elam’s ball skills stood out the most to me, especially on this overthrow near the sideline.

Overall, I’m not sure Elam did enough to separate himself from the crowded pack of cornerbacks but he definitely didn’t crash his stock, either. I expect him to go within the No. 20-40 range, though that’s more of a testament to the depth of the cornerback class. Elam is currently TDN’s fifth-ranked cornerback prospect and carries a second-round value from our scouts.

DAMEON PIERCE IS MORE THAN JUST A BRUISER

During his four seasons at Florida, running back Dameon Pierce developed a reputation as a punishing, bruising runner. Even Joe Marino praised Pierce’s angry running style in Pierce’s scouting report. Pierce wasn’t always revered as the most agile running back but he looked especially shifty during Monday’s drills. What really stood out from Pierce’s workout, though, was how natural he looked as a pass-catcher. He and Malik Davis ran routes with current Gators quarterback Anthony Richardson and excluding one dropped ball, Pierce consistently caught passes in stride. This clip I took seems to best showcase his work in this drill.

It’s a deep running back class this year and Pierce doesn’t have the explosiveness or speed as other running backs in the class. I still expect him to be a late-Day 2 pick and a perfect complement to a smaller, shiftier back. At minimum, Pierce should immediately be a key contributor on special teams—and a locker-room favorite. He’s currently TDN’s ninth-ranked running back.

ZACHARY CARTER DRAWS LOTS OF INTEREST

No defender really wowed at UF’s Pro Day, but defensive lineman Zachary Carter still said he was satisfied with his results. Carter, who weighed in at 6’4, 287 pounds, recorded a 4.3 20-yard shuttle time and a 5.06 40-yard time prior to doing individual drills later. His shuttle time would’ve been the fourth-best among all defensive linemen at the Combine, including Georgia edge rusher and projected first-rounder Travon Walker.

Following the workouts, Carter spoke to media about the day and the draft process as a whole. When asked about his preferred landing spot, Carter said it’s a blessing wherever he goes.

“I’m just trying to put my head down and work – I can’t really control that,” said Carter.  He told me he’s talked with a good amount of teams, specifically Atlanta, Buffalo, Minnesota, New Orleans and Seattle, to name a few. Carter also said he’ll visit Jacksonville this week and San Francisco later this month. Carter is currently TDN’s 10th-ranked interior defensive lineman.

STEWART REESE, JEAN DELANCE, JEREMIAH MOON DRAW INTEREST

Gators OL Jean Delance, who started the last two seasons at right tackle, benched 21 reps and posted a 28.5-inch vertical. The latter was half-inch higher than projected first-round pick Trevor Penning, an offensive tackle from Northern Iowa. Delance also ran a 4.65 20-yard shuttle, which would’ve been in the top-half of Combine performances. Gators OL Stewart Reese, who primarily played right guard last season, didn’t put up jaw-dropping numbers, though he did measure in at a whopping 6’5, 350 pounds.

As far as team interest goes, Delance told me he’s received a lot of interest from the Cardinals and Chargers. He also had dinner with the Eagles on Sunday night and will attend the Bucs’ local Pro Day. Reese said he has a workout scheduled with the Bucs for April 7.

Defensive Lineman Jeremiah Moon was the fourth Gator (Elam, Pierce, Carter) to attend the Combine, so he didn’t do many individual drills. He did participate in the 40-yard dash, though. Moon posted an unofficial 4.89 on his first run, though he came up short in the second run due to what seemed to be a hamstring issue.

For more questions or coverage from the Gators’ Pro Day, feel free to reach out on Twitter @ZachCohenFB.