Rainey's 4.37 highlights quiet Florida pro day
Scouts who watched 2011 first-round pick Joe Haden run the 40-yard dash in the 4.6-second range can't cry "fast track" when analyzing the peformance of Florida running back Chris Rainey's 4.37-second 40-yard dash Tuesday.
"I did great. Way better than the Combine," Rainey said afterward, noting marked improvement over his 4.5 time at the Scouting Combine, in the Gainesville Sun. "I've been thinking about that a long time. I had to come out here and redeemmyself. I didn't get the 4.1 (as predicted), but I still did good."
Rainey, 5-9, 190, has worked out as a wide receiver and running back and is likely to play a scatback and return specialist role early in his career as teams evaluate how to maximize his short-area quickness and explosive suddenness and speed.
As was the case last week at Miami (Fla.), what once was a must-attend cattle call of scouts was this year a sparsely populated workout for scouts. Twenty-four teams attended, but only one head coach, nearby Jaguars coach Mike Mularkey, who attended Florida, was on hand. He was the limited attendance was surprising.
He took notice of Rainey, and said quarterback John Brantley would likely make it to training camp where he'll have to prove his worth.
"Rainey is multi-talented. He can do a lot of things," Mularkey said, per the Sun. "You want to get the ball in his hands and let him do his thing. He's a little bit like Percy (Harvin). He's a guy who can hurt you in many ways."
Defensive tackle Jaye Howard, a riser on draft analyst Rob Rang's board, was one of the Gators' workout standouts at this time last year. He's raw, but has the potential to become a solid player in the right scheme.
He didn't do much Tuesday, standing on his 4.75 40-yard dash from the Scouting Combine. He also did 24 reps of 225 in Indy.
Wide receiver Deonte Thompson ran a sizzling 4.27 in the 40 and could get more attention because of his 101 career catches and strong showing in position drills, where he caught every pass.
"I did great. Way better than the Combine," Rainey said afterward, noting marked improvement over his 4.5 time at the Scouting Combine, in the Gainesville Sun. "I've been thinking about that a long time. I had to come out here and redeemmyself. I didn't get the 4.1 (as predicted), but I still did good."
Rainey, 5-9, 190, has worked out as a wide receiver and running back and is likely to play a scatback and return specialist role early in his career as teams evaluate how to maximize his short-area quickness and explosive suddenness and speed.
As was the case last week at Miami (Fla.), what once was a must-attend cattle call of scouts was this year a sparsely populated workout for scouts. Twenty-four teams attended, but only one head coach, nearby Jaguars coach Mike Mularkey, who attended Florida, was on hand. He was the limited attendance was surprising.
He took notice of Rainey, and said quarterback John Brantley would likely make it to training camp where he'll have to prove his worth.
"Rainey is multi-talented. He can do a lot of things," Mularkey said, per the Sun. "You want to get the ball in his hands and let him do his thing. He's a little bit like Percy (Harvin). He's a guy who can hurt you in many ways."
Defensive tackle Jaye Howard, a riser on draft analyst Rob Rang's board, was one of the Gators' workout standouts at this time last year. He's raw, but has the potential to become a solid player in the right scheme.
He didn't do much Tuesday, standing on his 4.75 40-yard dash from the Scouting Combine. He also did 24 reps of 225 in Indy.
Wide receiver Deonte Thompson ran a sizzling 4.27 in the 40 and could get more attention because of his 101 career catches and strong showing in position drills, where he caught every pass.
