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Friday, March 29, 2024
<p>Former UF tight end Clay Burton runs the 40-yard dash during UF's Pro Day on Tuesday at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.</p>

Former UF tight end Clay Burton runs the 40-yard dash during UF's Pro Day on Tuesday at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.

"Everything."

That’s the word three former Florida football players used to describe what Tuesday meant to them.

That is the importance of Pro Scout Day to Mike Taylor, Mack Brown and Clay Burton, each of whom will most likely not have their names called during next month’s NFL draft.

"I won’t lie to you, (when) I first walked in the stadium today I was nervous," Brown said. "But the guys that went to the combine and had the Senior Bowl invites, they had to talk to me, calm my nerves down. They told me ‘this is your one shot.’ This is my Senior Bowl, this is my combine, I’m just gonna come here and do the best I can do."

They may tune in to watch teammate Dante Fowler Jr. strut across the stage in Chicago to give NFL commissioner Roger Goodell a hug and pose with jersey and hat in front of dozens of flashbulbs, but that experience is not in their future.

They didn’t go to the senior bowl like teammate Max Garcia and Trenton Brown, or participate in the NFL combine like fellow Gators Brown, Leon Orr, Chaz Green, Neiron Ball, D.J. Humphries and Matt Jones.

They all plan to watch the draft at home with family.

Taylor is a self-described family man.

Brown says he might be at church.

Burton plans on eating Bosnian food with his in-laws.

His older brother Trey, who was picked up by the Philadelphia Eagles as an undrafted free agent, has been giving his sibling advice on how to spend the days when the draft is on TV.

"The whole draft day, don’t get caught up in everything," Clay said. "Just kinda relax and God already has a plan so whatever happens happens. Just wherever you go just be ready to work and make the best decision for yourself and your family."

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Visits are scarce as a fringe NFL prospect. While Green will leave today for Dallas and has future visits scheduled with the Falcons and a private workout with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Brown has no visits scheduled but plans to speak to his agent about possibilities.

Tyler Moore is training in Tampa, close to his hometown of Clearwater.

He cuts costs this way by not having to pay for things like a rental car or a temporary apartment, which becomes more money he has in his pocket to pay his agent.

Moore will attend the Buccaneers’ workout for local prospects on Friday along with Burton. Moore also had a workout with the Carolina Panthers, but tweaked his hamstring and wasn’t able to participate.

Burton made no mention of other visits besides Tampa Bay, but while most players attack the pre-draft process with perhaps the help of only their parents, Burton, who recently married former UF gymnast Dalila Lemezan, has someone else in his corner.

"It means so much now, because I always have somebody to fall back on," Burton said. "She’s just so positive with me. She’s waiting for me every time I come home from workouts and (I’m) just so thankful that she helps me with everything. She works to have her own stuff, but she always makes time for me and I love her so much."

In all, 22 UF players participated in Tuesday’s Pro Day workouts. Five or six are sure-fire draft picks.

The rest exist on the fringe, hoping for a shot at the league. Even though they won’t all get picked, new UF head coach Jim McElwain is pleased at the amount of players that worked out, ones that he thinks are all talented players.

"This is what you hope, each year you hope you have the depth and the quality," McElwain said.

"There’s a lot of really, really good players out here that are given the opportunity because of what they did and my hat’s off to them because as you see the 22 guys, there’s really some good players out there."

 Follow Richard Johnson on Twitter @RagjUF

Former UF tight end Clay Burton runs the 40-yard dash during UF's Pro Day on Tuesday at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.

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