March 26, 2009
ORLANDO, Fla. - UCF led all Conference USA schools last season with 15 alumni making their way onto active NFL rosters. A major step for many former Knights towards adding to that number occurred on Thursday when the football program held its annual Pro Day.
Scouts from 15 different NFL franchises were on hand as a total of 16 former Knights went through the standard battery of NFL combine drills before many of them also partook in special positional drills guided by NFL personnel. NFL scouts also spent time reviewing game films of the Knights seniors from this past season. The timed and measured drills ranged from the 40-yard dash, vertical leap, broad jump, and agility cone drills, amongst others.
One former Knight who had plenty of eyes upon him was 2008 first-team All-American Joe Burnett. The Eustis native enjoyed the experience.
"It's exactly what I've been dreaming about," he said afterwards. "I was here when Brandon Marshall had his pro day, Mike Walker, Kevin Smith, I knew that I was next. I couldn't wait until when the sweat starts running down me and all eyes are on me. It felt real good to be in that situation today. It was finally my turn.
"It went really well. It was exactly what I expected. A lot of scouts came out today and worked me out. I feel really good. I think I still opened a couple of eyes. A couple of the guys who came out to see me and hadn't seen me before, I think I impressed them. That was my goal coming here today."
The 2009 NFL Draft will be held on April 25-26 with the first two rounds taking place on Saturday, April 25 and the final five rounds on Sunday, April 26.
For the latest news on the Knights, log on to UCFAthletics.com - the official site for UCF varsity sports. The site, which also contains ticket and Golden Knights Club donor information, is also the home of UCF's new online apparel store. Also visit UCFPhotos.com, the exclusive fan source for UCF action sports pictures.