Percy Harvin, Louis Murphy and Cornelius Ingram caught passes in The Swamp for the final time Wednesday, showing off for NFL scouts at UF's Pro Scout Day.
As always, the trio was impressive, showing the players' potential at the next level and the void the 2009 UF football team will have to fill after their departures.
"I'm wondering how we're going to get a first down next year after watching that receiving work out," coach Urban Meyer said. "It's bittersweet because you're saying goodbye to a lot of these guys, but you're seeing a lot of hard work pay off."
Running back Kestahn Moore, long snapper James Smith, tight end Tate Casey, linebacker Jamaal Deveaux, and linemen Phil Trautwein and Jason Watkins worked out as well, but the athletic tight end and two speedy receivers commanded the most attention.
Harvin and Murphy chose not to run the 40-yard dash - they'll stick with their NFL Combine times of 4.41 and 4.43 seconds, respectively - but Ingram ran twice.
The NFL Combine and UF Pro Day amount to a season's worth of football for Ingram, who is trying to prove he has fully recovered from the torn ACL that sidelined him all of last season.
"(The injury) is definitely not an issue," Ingram said. "Going in to the Combine, I was thinking about it a little bit more, but today I was totally relaxed and just came out like anything else. I felt good throughout the day, and the knee was fine."
Ingram will have help from agent Drew Rosenhaus, who was on hand for the workout.
Ingram said he chose Rosenhaus because he represents several top pro tight ends and because of his experience with running back Willis McGahee, whom he helped earn a first-round selection despite tearing three knee ligaments just four months earlier.
Harvin faces a similar hurdle, as he must prove to NFL teams the injuries that plagued his career in Gainesville are over.
"It doesn't matter who it is, if there's a history of not practicing, off-the-field issues or any instability, there's a concern there," Jacksonville Jaguars receiving coach Todd Monken said. "You have to have a guy go and produce when you take him as high as he's athletically capable of going."
Harvin's athleticism was on full display during the route-running drills. He made sharp cuts, showed off his speed and caught every pass thrown his way by former Gators quarterback Doug Johnson.
The 31-year-old Johnson was sharp, and his performance certainly won't hurt his chances of rejoining pro football after being cut by the Cincinnati Bengals in 2007.
Harvin said he will meet with around 10 NFL teams individually before the draft, including a special teams workout with the New York Giants on Thursday.
Monken said whichever team drafts Harvin should use him out of the backfield, at wideout and as a kick returner, an opinion he formed while recruiting Harvin for LSU in 2005.
Monken watched Harvin play for Virginia Beach Landstown High, and one play from that game has in his memory: Harvin took a bubble screen, reversed field and scored from 40 yards out as the clock expired in the first half.
"That was the first time I ever saw him in person, and I'll never forget it," Monken said. "I've always been a big fan. That doesn't mean squat about what the Jaguars will do, but I'm a big fan."
'THE PROMISE' GETS A PLAQUE: UF fans are unlikely to forget quarterback Tim Tebow's passionate speech after UF's 31-30 loss to Mississippi, but just in case, it's hanging on the wall outside The Swamp.
An engraved plaque near the door of the Heavener Football Complex bears the text of "The Promise," which CBS commentator Verne Lundquist said will go down as one of college football's greatest speeches.
EIGHT RULED OUT FOR SPRING: The Gators will take the field Wednesday for spring practice, which culminates in the Orange and Blue Game on April 18, but eight players will be held out because of injuries.
Defensive lineman Brandon Antwine (knee), linebacker Brandon Hicks (shoulder), offensive lineman Mike Pouncey (shoulder), kick returner Brandon James (foot) and receiver Omarius Hines (thighs) are among those out.
Defensive linemen Carlos Dunlap (abdominal strain) and Terron Sanders (calf), offensive linemen Carl Johnson (knee) and James Wilson (feet), linebacker Brendan Beal (knee) and a few others will all be limited in practice.
