PA Season Ticket Holder
04-01-2003, 10:53 PM
March 31, 2003) – It's a long and impressive list; one that includes the likes of Cris Collinsworth, Nat Moore and Ricky Nattiel.
Athough the NFL Draft is still a month away, it's probably a safe bet to add Taylor Jacobs to that list.
A total of 24 former University of Florida wide receivers have played in the NFL, including seven in each of the last three seasons. However, there's one stigma they can't seem to shake -- Gator receivers don't live up to the hype in the NFL.
Enter Jacobs. The 6-foot, 205-pound speedster has impressed scouts, coaches and draft experts alike. He is projected as high as the third-best receiver in the draft, a position Florida players haven't enjoyed since Ike Hilliard and Reidel Anthony were two of the top 16 picks in 1997.
"I look at it this way … for all these UF receivers to be in the league, that says something in the first place," Jacobs said. "People can say we're good or we're not so good, but you have look at the number of receivers we have and have had in the NFL.
"People can say what they want to say, but as much as I want to be like Ike or Travis (Taylor), or whomever I looked up to in the past, I'm not them. I'm different. I'm Taylor Jacobs and that's all I'm glad to be. I'm different, and one day I hope to get a chance to show that."
Jacobs made his mark at Florida, which is no small task at a school that holds its football players to the highest standards. He was a first-team All-Southeastern Conference pick this past season, leading the conference with 71 catches for 1,088 yards. He accomplished all this despite missing two games with a knee injury. His 71 grabs rank third for a single season in school history, surpassing Collinsworth
http://nfl.com/draft/story/6282615
Athough the NFL Draft is still a month away, it's probably a safe bet to add Taylor Jacobs to that list.
A total of 24 former University of Florida wide receivers have played in the NFL, including seven in each of the last three seasons. However, there's one stigma they can't seem to shake -- Gator receivers don't live up to the hype in the NFL.
Enter Jacobs. The 6-foot, 205-pound speedster has impressed scouts, coaches and draft experts alike. He is projected as high as the third-best receiver in the draft, a position Florida players haven't enjoyed since Ike Hilliard and Reidel Anthony were two of the top 16 picks in 1997.
"I look at it this way … for all these UF receivers to be in the league, that says something in the first place," Jacobs said. "People can say we're good or we're not so good, but you have look at the number of receivers we have and have had in the NFL.
"People can say what they want to say, but as much as I want to be like Ike or Travis (Taylor), or whomever I looked up to in the past, I'm not them. I'm different. I'm Taylor Jacobs and that's all I'm glad to be. I'm different, and one day I hope to get a chance to show that."
Jacobs made his mark at Florida, which is no small task at a school that holds its football players to the highest standards. He was a first-team All-Southeastern Conference pick this past season, leading the conference with 71 catches for 1,088 yards. He accomplished all this despite missing two games with a knee injury. His 71 grabs rank third for a single season in school history, surpassing Collinsworth
http://nfl.com/draft/story/6282615