Since spring practice began a couple of weeks ago, the spotlight has been almost entirely on the Gators’ present and future. On Monday, everyone got one final chance to look back at the program’s recent past.
The Gators hosted their annual Pro Day in the indoor practice facility. Fourteen members of the 2021 team and two players who graduated following the 2020 season participated in the combine-like event, which was attended by representatives from 28 of the 32 NFL organizations.
“I had to tell myself when I woke up this morning [that] this is the moment,” defensive tackle Antonio Valentino said. “This is the time. This is what I worked my entire life for. I’ve been playing football since I was 5. I’m 24 years old. I’ve dedicated my life to this.
“I literally had to tell myself, ‘People are here to see you perform. They’re here to see you and your teammates perform. Somebody out here is getting paid. The money is out there every single year. This is the moment where you make these people decide that you’re worthy of that investment.’”
While cornerback Kaiir Elam and defensive lineman Zachary Carter are expected to be the first two Gators selected in April’s NFL Draft, running back Malik Davis did the most to improve his stock on Monday.
Davis was measured at 39 ½ inches in the vertical jump and 10 feet, 7 inches in the broad jump. His vertical jump would’ve placed second among running backs in the NFL Combine held earlier this month. He also posted a very solid time of 4.25 seconds in the 20-yard shuttle and showed off some good receiving skills in the position drills.
Those numbers are impressive for anybody, but they’re particularly impressive for someone who suffered both a torn ACL and a broken foot during his college career. He erased any lingering doubts about whether he’s in top form entering the next stage of his career.
“It felt pretty good,” Davis said. “There’s always questions about my injuries. I rehabbed after each injury hard and every day. I think today that showed.”
Davis rushed for 1,470 yards and eight touchdowns with the Gators and could hear his name called on day three of the draft depending on how much stock NFL front offices put in Pro Days.
This could be the first time since 1990 that the Gators have two running backs taken in the same draft. Dameon Pierce, who led the team with 574 yards and 13 scores in 2021, also participated in Pro Day, though he only did the L-Drill and the position-specific drills.
After spending the last four years together, Davis said that it brought him joy to be able to work out with Pierce one last time.
“It was a great feeling,” he said. “Even you saying his name just made me smile. He’s an energy guy. He always brings that energy to the room, brings a smile on our faces. That’s my brother.”
While Davis was the biggest winner on Monday, Elam and Carter also had solid days and did nothing to hurt their draft stock.
Elam’s vertical jump checked in at 37 ½ inches, which would’ve tied for fourth among cornerbacks at the NFL Combine. He also ran the shuttle in 4.21 seconds and looked fluid in the defensive back drills.
“I just wanted to show my athleticism,” Elam said. “But first and foremost, I just wanted to be out here with my guys, my brothers, strap it up one last time. So, that’s really why I wanted to come out here and just make sure I motivated those guys and just help them out as much as I could.”
He added that he’s tried to take better care of his body over the last few months now that he no longer has school or team-related activities to worry about.
“I got more rest when I was training than when I was in college just because of the time schedule and things like that,” he said. “Just taking care of my body, doing acupuncture, doing massages, stretching before and after workouts, before I go to sleep and stuff like that.”
Elam hasn’t hired an agent and will represent himself for the time being, though he has hired an advisor, a lawyer and a financial planner. He’ll also lean on the advice of his father, former NFL defensive back Abram Elam. He should get drafted either late in the first round or early in the second if the numerous mock drafts are accurate.
Carter, who finished second on the team with eight sacks and 11 tackles-for-loss last year, didn’t run as fast as he had hoped, as he unofficially clocked in at 5.06 seconds in the 40-yard dash. He did rebound to post an excellent time of 4.3 seconds in the shuttle.
“I feel like I showed teams I’m big, but I’m athletic,” Carter said. “I can move. I can change direction. I can run. I feel like I did great in position work. I just want to come out here and show that I’m one of the top defensive linemen in the draft.
“It was a tough process. Combine training and football training are kind of different. You go from training, a lot of drills, and you’re training for strength because you want to be strong on the field. A lot of the combine stuff was quick twitch, explosive work, lighter weight, a lot of running, a lot of changing direction. The whole program was different. It took me awhile to get used to it, but they kicked my butt. They whipped me into shape.”
He said that one of his main focuses since the end of the season was refining his body. He still weighs 286 pounds but has trimmed his body fat from 25 percent to 18 percent.
“I wouldn’t say I’m on a strict diet, but I watch what I eat and make sure I’m eating the right things, putting the right things in my body,” he said.
Carter said that one of the greatest things he’ll bring to whatever NFL team drafts him is versatility. He played defensive end almost exclusively in 2021, but he spent a good amount of time at tackle in 2020.
With NFL rosters limited to 53 players, teams are always looking for guys that can do multiple things and basically serve as two players for the price of one. Carter believes that he is that type of player.
“What I’m hearing from a lot of teams that kind of like how I fit in their defense, they see me as a puzzle piece to move around,” he said. “I was talking to the Bills the other day. They said they like me at end, first and second down. They liked that I can slide inside on pass-rushing downs, third down. That’s what a lot of teams view me as right now.”
Meanwhile, Valentino was a little disappointed with his performance in the bench press. He wanted to do 30 reps but only completed 25. He felt like he did a good job of bouncing back from it and finishing the day strong.
“Every play is not going to go how you want it to,” Valentino said. “I just got it in my head. My biggest thing was ‘How am I going to respond to this?’ I went out there and still tried to do everything 100 percent. My 40 felt really good. My touches on my shuttle felt really good. My L-cone felt pretty good. I felt really good in the drills, really strong and explosive. I felt like it was a really good day.
“I think I showed I can move very well. A lot of people will say I’m undersized. I’m 6-2. I think that being quote unquote undersized, there are certain guys in the NFL that are breaking that mold. I know as long as I go in there and play my game, be as consistent as I can be, I think I’ll be fine. I think I showed that I can move very, very well. I showed that I’m very explosive. I’m strong at the point of attack. I’m strong with my hands, flipping my hips.”
Pro Day was also big for a couple of players on the other side of the line of scrimmage. Tackle Jean Delance did the third-most reps on the bench press, and he looked noticeably stronger and leaner than he did a few months ago.
Like Carter, Delance said that his biggest selling point to NFL teams is his versatility. While he never played anything other than right tackle at Florida, he thinks that he has what it takes to play all five positions at the next level.
“I’m athletic,” he said. “I’m a freaky guy. I can get in the box and just play strong wherever it may be. Guard, tackle, I’m trying to get some snaps. I want to be able to play center eventually. So, I would tell guys that I’m very valuable. You can put me anywhere. I want to be a plug-and play-guy eventually, a rotational player and work myself into a starter.”
Stewart Reese, who started more than 50 games during his career at Florida and Mississippi State, will likely either get drafted on day three or sign as an undrafted free agent. Regardless of what happens, he’ll find peace in knowing that he did everything that he could.
“At the end of the day, I don’t want to leave any stone unturned,” he said. “I started out playing this. This is what I fell in love with. This is the opportunity. That’s primary at this point. Not to say that the medical field is not important, but, right now, this is at the top of the list because it’s the most prevalent in my life right now.
“I owe it to myself to see it through. I don’t want to give up saying, ‘What if?’ or ‘What could have been?’ At the end of the day, I want to say, ‘I gave my best, and I can go to sleep knowing I gave it my all.’”
In about a month, Reese and the other 15 former Gators will find out if their hard work is going to pay off.