the Gray kid put up some sick numbers......never remember even hearing his name, and he's a big, big kid.....
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www.miamiherald.com]
This past season, Miami Hurricanes running back DeeJay Dallas called teammate Trayone Gray a “Mack Truck with a Ferrari engine.’’
“Choc is big,’’ Dallas said of then fifth-year senior running back Gray, who graduated from Miami Carol City High and is nicknamed Choc because his mom said he loved chocolate as a child. “He’s the strongest in our room. He might not look fast but Choc is fast. He’s like 240 and that’s like a Mack Truck. He brings the juice.’’
Gray, measured Monday at 6-1 1/2 and 233 pounds on UM Pro Day, did somewhat resemble a sleek version of a rumbling semitrailer in bringing plenty of juice and eliciting a collective “Oooh!” among more than a hundred NFL coaches and scouts gathered at the Carol Soffer Indoor Practice Facility.
“A lot of people say I’m a 4.4 guy maybe 4.5, but I believed in myself and my trainers,’’ Gray said. “They said I could run a 4.3. I knew I could run it. I had faith in God. I prayed every day, every night. Before I even ran I told God, ‘I’m leaving it in your hands and do what you gotta do for me.’’’
About 20 Hurricanes, including walk-ons, performed for the NFL representatives. At least six of the athletes — defensive tackle Gerald Willis, defensive end Joe Jackson, cornerback Michael Jackson, safeties Jaquan Johnson and Sheldrick Redwine, and running back Travis Home — are expected to be drafted. That number could rise by the end of the NFL Draft, which runs April 25-27.
Jackson, Redwine and Homer chose not to run Monday, but did other drills, because their NFL Scouting Combine results were good enough. Former UM center Tyler Gauthier appeared to pull his hamstring on his first attempt and did not participate afterward.
Willis, who along with Joe Jackson has been touted by analysts as a likely early-round selection, said he slightly pulled his hamstring on his first 40-yard dash (unofficial 5.1 seconds) Monday, but still participated and looked good in the ensuing on-field drills. He was measured at the combine in Indianapolis, but did not participate in workouts because he injured his groin in the regular-season finale against Pittsburgh. He said he dislocated his left middle finger against Florida State, and still plans to undergo surgery, though he said it doesn’t hurt him.
“I knew I had to get through the D-line drills,’’ said Willis. “I’m tough enough for it.’’
Willis said he appreciated all the former players who came Monday to support the Canes. They included Steve Walsh, Corn Elder, Duke Johnson, RJ McIntosh, Kendrick Norton, Rayshawn Jenkins, Jermaine Grace, Cleveland Browns vice president of player personnel and former fullback Alonzo Highsmith and Buffalo Bills director of player personnel Dan Morgan, a former UM star linebacker.
“It meant a lot seeing them guys come out here and see me,’’ Willis said. “That was me over there last year. I was at the Dolphins’ facility watching those guys perform.”
UM coach Manny Diaz said he was proud of his competitors and the fact that they were doing it all in the Carol Soffer Indoor Practice Facility, which opened last summer. “You can see our current players watching our outgoing players with our former players,’’ Diaz said. “You sort of have the future, the present and the past all in one building.’’
Diaz acknowledged the sounding of the lightning alarm outside at one point during Pro Day, which would have sent the Canes scrambling for cover in previous Pro Days. In 2016, Pro Day took place in torrential rain.
“A big part of today, again, goes to a big thank you to Mark Richt and Carol Soffer,’’ Diaz said. “It was this day a couple years ago in a monsoon that really was a driving force to get this built. ...It felt like that was almost God’s way of saying, ‘Let’s be thankful for the reason that we have this and guys can work in perfect conditions.’”
As for Gray, who sat out 2016 because of reconstructive knee surgery to repair a torn anterior cruciate ligament, he played in all 13 games in 2018, but only ran 24 times for 83 yards and two touchdowns. His career numbers: 60 carries for 294 yards (4.9 yards a carry) and five touchdowns in 29 games.
He conceded that he wished he had played more, but “left it in God’s hands.’’
“I know God had a plan. Maybe he wanted me to work a little harder. If I was projected high I would have probably gotten comfortable...Nothing I can change. That’s in the past now, so all I can do is work hard.”
Gray’s inspiration is now his mother and former teammates. “...My dad died when I was 1, so she pushed me every day,’’ he said. “Like the majority of the young guys here, they’re pushing me, like, ‘I know you can do it big bro.’ So I just do it for them.’’
