Florida football: Which Gators need to impress at the NFL Combine?

Florida football is traditionally one of the best schools in the country when it comes to putting their guys in the NFL, and this upcoming draft class is no exception.

The Gators are sending nine guys to the NFL Combine in Indianapolis, two of which are getting 1st round projections in Anthony Richardson and O’Cyrus Torrence.

But as we all know the combine isn’t just for first and second-round guys. It’s a great spot for players who are a little under the radar to show NFL teams what they can do athletically and raise their draft stock.

Florida is sending a few of these guys to Indianapolis who look to improve their draft stock and get their names called sooner rather than later.

These are the Gators who need to show out at the NFL Combine.

Florida football: Trey Dean III

After a promising freshman season, Trey Dean never really lived up to what a lot of people thought he could have become. Is that in part due to being coached by Todd Grantham for two years? Probably.

But Dean wasn’t always reliable in coverage, and his tackling was suspect at times.

What Trey does have going for him is his physicality and athleticism. He’s a freak, plain and simple.

If you run a slant in front of him, your receiver will need a week or two to shake off the hit. And Dean has great speed in the open field to close in on ball carriers.

At the combine, he’ll have the chance to show off his strength at the bench press, and his speed + agility at the cone drills and 40-yard dash.

If he shows out to his fullest potential in Indy, he could easily improve his stock and get picked a round or two ahead of his current projections.

Florida football: Ventrell Miller

Some of you may be surprised to see Miller’s name on this list. He’s been the Gators’ best linebacker for years and is one of the surest tacklers you can find.

But NFL teams will have questions about his health.

Miller battled through injuries throughout his college career and played through a lot of them. His skill set was never in question, but his durability has been.

Pro scouts will be looking to see how well Ventrell goes through all the drills. They’ll be checking to see if he’s in pain, has any discomfort, and whatnot. If he’s able to breeze through all the workouts, his tape speaks for itself.

Miller’s health at the combine will have a big impact on where he gets drafted.

Florida football: Brenton Cox Jr.

Maybe this is a technicality since he was dismissed from the team, but Cox is still heading to the pros as a Florida Gator.

The good news for him is that he’ll likely test off the charts. Like it is with Trey Dean, Cox’s natural ability was never in question, and he has a rare combination of strength and speed coming off the edge that NFL teams will love.

The most important thing for Cox might not even be on the field during the combine, but in offices when he’s talking with scouts. Most of their questions will be related to his character and his dismissal from the team.

On the field, he’ll likely have one of the quickest 40 and shuttle times in his position group, and we know how strong he is. Cox could easily boost his draft stock in Indy.

Florida football: Anthony Richardson

At first, I wasn’t going to include AR on this list. He’s already projected as a top-ten pick and the hype is only going up as we get closer to the draft.

But it’s impossible to ignore what Richardson will be able to do at the combine. He’s going to break the scales in every drill, making him even more appealing than he already is to some NFL teams.

And it still may seem ridiculous to some of you, but the smoke about him potentially going No. 1 overall is very real, especially now that the Bears are shopping around with the pick.

When he lights the combine on fire, all that momentum moving him up the draft boards will just get more and more serious.

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