April 24, 2011
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By Marc Daniels
UCFAthletics.com
ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) - During their time at UCF, Bruce Miller and Jah Reid rarely waited for instructions on where to go. Both became leaders on their side of the ball and became all-conference players who easily stood out. But now, two of UCF's more decorated players in recent history must play the waiting game. But in the end, the wait will be worth it.
This week Miller, Reid and perhaps other former teammates will wait for the call from an NFL team who believes they can help them. It is the week of the NFL Draft.
Miller and Reid have been picked and prodded during the draft process by numerous teams who studied them at the NFL Combine, UCF's Pro Day and individual workouts. NFL personnel have watched game film, interviewed coaches and talked with trainers and anyone else who might know a little about them.
Sometimes the draft process is overblown. A player can play four years at an All-American level and yet having 50 games of film to show their talents, the decision of who or if they are drafted sometimes comes down to their time in the 40-yard run or how many reps they can make at a bench press.
NFL scouts know Miller can play football at a high level. They noticed his sacks, ability of handling a double team and his willingness to play special teams despite being an established starter.
But Bruce is not as tall as NFL teams would like him to be to play defensive end. He is not as big physically to play defensive tackle. And he might not be as fast as they would prefer to play outside linebacker. But most talent observers believe Bruce Miller has a place in the NFL, somewhere on the field.
Miller's request to play special teams every game in his career, even during his senior season, may have been his smartest move. A lot of players play a long time in the NFL is they are able to cover kickoffs and make tackles. Someone will draft Miller and they will be getting a great player that if given a chance will play a long time.
Reid is expected to be a mid-round selection as an offensive tackle. At 6-foot-7, Reid became a true offensive lineman the last two years at UCF after being a really big guy who happened to play offensive line. Players the size of Reid, who can play tackle, are hot commodities in the NFL Draft. With that in mind, Reid will have a chance to help someone up front.
Receivers Jamar Newsome, Kamar Aiken and Brian Watters also hope for a chance. Newsome may have the best opportunity. His draft likely improved with a solid performance returning kicks with Quincy McDuffie this past season. In addition, his numerous third down catches and pre-draft workouts put him in position to possibly be a late round pick or a top post-draft free agent.
Knights notes and more: Just a note or two leftover from last week's spring football game and we start with Jordan Rae. The UCF center is poised for a huge season. As a first-year starter last season, Rae was more than adequate and he comes off a great spring and is prepared to continue a growing a tradition of outstanding centers at UCF...Rob Calabrese just might catch, run and throw for a touchdown this fall...The record crowd for UCF's baseball game with Florida was great for many reasons. For starters, UCF fans made up about 80 percent of the crowd. In addition, it showcased what the school and Terry Rooney has preached. If UCF can raise the funds to build the expanded grandstands and bleachers, fans will come and UCF baseball will be a big-time revenue generating sport...Get used to it. As George O'Leary and Donnie Jones continue to successfully recruit some of the nation's top players, there will be no shortage of out-of-town media, message board vultures and social network junkies who will take their shots and wonder why these players are choosing UCF. Jealously comes in many forms...Final thought: This past weekend while out with my family, my oldest daughter kept updating me on UCF baseball scores from Memphis on her UCF baseball gametracker app (I think that means "application," but I learned it's not an application for a job, but some fancy thing these kids today download to access information). How much more proud could a father be?
Marc Daniels' From the Press Box runs several times per month on UCFAthletics.com. Listen to Marc during UCF football, men's basketball and baseball radio broadcasts on the UCF Sports Network. Each weekday, Marc hosts The Beat of Sports on ESPN Radio 1080 in Orlando.