GAINESVILLE<\/p>\n
Let\u2019s start with what didn\u2019t happen.<\/p>\n
Tyreak Sapp, the former Fort Lauderdale St. Thomas Aquinas defensive lineman, didn\u2019t do anything but stand on a plate and stand by a wall. Those measurements were as reassuring as they could be, minus the shorter reach than film would suggest, but none of it will be the reason a team selects him next month in the NFL draft.<\/p>\n
Between Florida\u2019s Pro Day this week and the NFL Combine in late February, the only workout Sapp participated in was the bench press, at which he knocked out an impressive 28 reps in Indianapolis. Otherwise, returning to Gainesville, the DNPs racked up. He wouldn\u2019t explain his choice to largely not work out. Yet while he wasn\u2019t partaking, he was definitely present \u2026 which might show something a little deeper.<\/p>\n
\u201cI want to be there for my teammates,\u201d he said this year. \u201cIn the past, I\u2019ve closed off to myself some. \u2026 The next thing is being a leader, helping guys, being around.\u201d<\/p>\n
While Florida spiraled to 4-8, he transformed into an anchoring presence, a far cry from the volatile character he was in his first seasons with the Gators. Eligibility used up and his NFL dream rolling onto the horizon, he\u2019s departing Florida. This was a nice last hurrah.<\/p>\n
\u201cWanted to be out here for my guys,\u201d Sapp said. When his friend and fellow edge rusher George Gumbs Jr. took to the bench, Sapp stood closest, screaming \u201cdig\u201d with each rep. He smiled and joked with his teammates \u2014 err, former teammates \u2014 offsetting career-defining activities with a light-hearted environment. \u201cIt was nice having their support,\u201d Gumbs said, \u201cseeing all the guys back out here.\u201d<\/p>\n
Gumbs projects slightly better than Sapp, largely due to his lean 6-foot-4 frame that fits the mold of mutant edge rushers the NFL is currently searching for. Sapp was more productive while at Florida, though, tallying seven sacks his junior year, prior to a disappointing single-sack fall. He figures to fit into a backup role wherever he lands, with his adjustment in mindset now a plus, some scouts suggested this year. He\u2019s shown growth, a crucial yet distinctly difficult-to-measure skill. He\u2019s also significantly more humble.<\/p>\n
\u201cI just want to find a home,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019m open to anything.\u201d<\/p>\n
Since he didn\u2019t take part in the festivities, the spotlight at Florida\u2019s Pro Day shifted in other directions. The sharpest glow was around defensive tackle Caleb Banks, who easily will be Florida\u2019s highest-drafted prospect this year. Despite missing nine games this season with a foot injury and then re-injuring the foot during the combine, he shouldn\u2019t slip past Day 2. Some outlets still project him as a late first-round selection.<\/p>\n
But he, like Sapp, was just a cheerleader this week.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf I was out there doing drills, I know they\u2019d be supporting me,\u201d he said. \u201cBeing a player, I know you need somebody in your corner standing for you, being excited for, even if you just run.<\/p>\n
\u201cHopefully, everybody\u2019s dreams come true.\u201d<\/p>\n
That whimsical attitude sifted into the rest of the afternoon, which featured only 11 true participants. Banks got to speaking about his fear of planes and the many ways that\u2019s knifed at his draft process. Long snapper Rocco Underwood spent more time talking about his Easter plans than his performance \u2014 thus is the way of long snapping. Punter Tommy Doman dove into how Florida needs to add more Aussies to its ranks. And center Jake Slaughter was, well, as stoic as the All-American has ever been.<\/p>\n
Simply, Florida\u2019s Pro Day was as boring as ever. Dreams are made that way sometimes.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve just been trying to soak in every moment, make the most of every moment, and kind of just enjoy everybody,\u201d Sapp said. \u201cI\u2019ve been through a lot, and I\u2019ve seen a lot, and I\u2019ve seen this place go through a lot, so it just means a lot to me.\u201d<\/p>\n
Even if nothing really happened.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"GAINESVILLE Let\u2019s start with what didn\u2019t happen. Tyreak Sapp, the former Fort Lauderdale St. Thomas Aquinas defensive lineman,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":209485,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[28,30,29,3111,93591,31207],"class_list":["post-209484","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-florida","tag-florida","tag-florida-headlines","tag-florida-news","tag-gators","tag-pro-day","tag-tyreak-sapp"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/209484","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=209484"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/209484\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/209485"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=209484"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=209484"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=209484"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}