TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – There was a time when Florida State dominated the NFL Draft. In 2006 four of the first 19 picks were Seminoles. That hasn’t been the case lately. In the last three drafts FSU has produced only two first round picks.
“I think there are a lot of people sleeping on the talent here in Tallahassee,” said wide receiver Nyqwan Murray, who’s projected to be a late round pick or undrafted free agent. “There’s a lot of talent on the Florida State football team. We always have good talent come out of here every year.”
On Thursday there were 13 former Seminoles that participated in Pro Day. Of that group only Brian Burns is projected to be a 1st round pick.
“Players have to get use to the new coaching staff and the schemes,” said Burns, who projects as a 4-3 defensive end or 3-4 outside backer in the NFL. “There’s been a lot of moving around since Jimbo [Fisher] left. There’s been a lot of feeling each other out. Once guys get that chemistry down and they’re working together as a team. I feel like we’ll get back to moving forward.”
One player that didn’t benefit from the coaching change was running back Jacques Patrick. As a junior he ran for 748 yards and seven touchdowns. Last year as senior those numbers saw a steep decline to only 378 yards and one touchdown.
As a result Patrick wasn’t one of the 28 running backs invited to the 2019 NFL Combine.
“It was just a blessing in disguise,” said Patrick. “Nothing happens by luck or chance. Obviously I felt a little slighted because there were some guys, just in my competitive nature that I thought I was better than.”
Patrick backed up those words with his actions. He said not attending the combine allowed him extra time to prepare for FSU’s Pro Day. Since the end of last season he was able to lose 20 pounds and got down to around 225 pounds. Shedding that weight allowed him to a run a 40-yard dash in the high 4.5’s on Thursday.
Patrick projects to being a day three selection in next month’s NFL Draft.