I wonder if Kelvin Taylor would have gone out to the draft if he had known he would go in the late sixth round.
Don't the 49ers have a good running back ahead of him?
Oliver Barry, CRS, GRI
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From: gatornews@googlegroups.com [mailto:gatornews@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of Shane Ford
Sent: Sunday, May 01, 2016 7:42 PM
To: GatorNews
Subject: [gatornews] [SUN]: NFL draft day 3: Morrison to Colts, Robinson to Chiefs, Taylor to 49ers, McCalister to Eagles
NFL draft day 3: Morrison to Colts, Robinson to Chiefs, Taylor to 49ers, McCalister to Eagles
Florida linebacker Antonio Morrison (3) was selected in the fourth round Saturday of the NFL draft by the Colts.
Matt Stamey/Staff photographer
By Robbie Andreu
Gainesville SUN Staff writer
Published: Saturday, April 30, 2016 at 4:21 p.m.
Last Modified: Saturday, April 30, 2016 at 4:21 p.m.
Antonio Morrison's remarkable story just keeps getting better and better.
At this time a year ago, the Florida middle linebacker was still early in his recovery from two surgeries on his left knee, and there was serious doubt whether he'd ever be able to play again.
"I was out there walking," he said. "I wasn't running."
Now, he's sprinting toward an NFL career.
On Saturday, Morrison was selected in the fourth round of the NFL draft by the Indianapolis Colts, another feel-good moment in what has been an inspiring comeback.
"It's exciting. I'm really excited," said Morrison, who watched the draft back home in Bellwood, Ill., just outside of Chicago.
Morrison was one of two Gators drafted in the fourth round. Junior wide receiver Demarcus Robinson heard his name called by the Kansas City Chiefs, just minutes after the Colts selected Morrison with the 127th overall pick.
Two other Gators also have been drafted today.
Junior tailback Kelvin Taylor went late in the sixth round to the 49ers, who selected him with the 211th overall pick, while defensive end Alex McCalister went to the Eagles in the seventh round.
Morrison's story is the stuff that books and movies are made of.
Morrison planned to enter the NFL draft after his junior season, but saw that plan disintegrate when he sustained a devastating knee injury in the Birmingham Bowl.
"I was going to come out early," he said. "But I had torn my left LCL and ACL in my knee. I wasn't mad, I wasn't upset or anything. It's a part of the game."
Two surgeries later, Morrison was facing a daunting rehab and the possibility that his playing days could be over.
He aggressively and optimistically attacked the process and his knee responded.
"I just broke down my goals each and every day what I wanted to attack," Morrison said. "Each day, I'd write down new goals.
"I felt as long as I was accomplishing those goals every day, I'd accomplish playing in the long run. That's what I ended up doing."
By the time preseason camp opened in August, he was cleared to participate in non-contact work.
By the time the season began, Morrison was back in the starting lineup. And he didn't just go out there and hold his own, he put together the best season of his career, doubling his tackles for loss and more than doubling his sacks from the season before.
Morrison started all 14 games, led the Gators in tackles with 103 and recorded 12.0 tackles for losses, 2.5 sacks, three quarterback hurries and one forced fumble.
Morrison has, and continues, to downplay his remarkable comeback.
"I just go day by day. I just enjoy every day," he said. "I'm blessed to be in this position that I'm in, to be able to accomplish what I've been dreaming of since I was little."
Morrison said he already feels at home with the Colts, the last team of many that he visited.
"That's the visit I enjoyed the most," he said. "As soon as I stepped foot there, the GM came up and talked to me. The relationship I built with them, I feel like I've known them for a year already."
Morrison said the Colts will not regret drafting him.
"I'm physical, I'm tough, I love contact. I love hitting," he said. "That's the part of the game I love.
"I'm going to bring it every play. You're never going to see me take a play off. I'm 110 miles an hour every play."
While Morrison is viewed as an overachiever, Robinson will head to the Chiefs with a reputation of underachieving -- a potentially excellent wide receiver with a big upside, but a player who was sporadic in his production (and behavior) at Florida.
In his three seasons at UF, Robinson was suspended four times for violating team rules, twice this past season.
When eligible and focused, he showed impressive flashes. In the past two seasons, the caught 101 passes for 1,332 yards and nine touchdowns.
"His athletic ability screams at you," NFL Network analyst Mike Mayock said.
NOTES: Two undrafted Gators signed free-agent contracts Saturday night. Tight end Jake McGee announced on Twitter that he's signed with the Carolina Panthers, while cornerback Brian Poole reached an agreement with the Atlanta Falcons. McGee was the Gators' second-leading receiver last season with 41 catches for 381 yards and four touchdowns. Poole started 30 games in his UF career, recording 29 pass break-ups and intercepting six passes. ... Former Florida quarterbacks Jacoby Brissett and Jeff Driskel, who were part of the same Gator recruiting class, were selected in the draft. Brissett (N.C. State) was taken in the third round by New England on Friday, while Driskel (Louisiana Tech) was selected by the San Francisco 49ers in the sixth Saturday.
Sent From Shane's iPhone
Go Gators! & Skål Vikes!
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