Florida Gators

Steelers center Maurkice Pouncey and Dolphins center Mike Pouncey, the famous former Gator twins, went on The Herd with Colin Cowherd recently to talk about Pittsburgh's offseason, Ben Roethlisberger, Miami's quarterback situation, their excitement about the upcoming season and their belief in Will Muschamp. Listen here

Former Florida offensive linemen Maurkice and Mike Pouncey were among the eight first-round NFL draft picks at The Opening this weekend to lend their perspective to the top prospects in the nation.

Mike Pouncey, a former All-American at Florida and first-round pick in 2011 who started every game of his rookie year at center for the Dolphins, said he recognizes the importance of the past few days to the high school players.

"When I was in high school and the NFL guys came out, I just wanted to be around those guys," Pouncey said. "It was a dream come true, because those guys were living the dream."

Mike and twin brother Maurkice Pouncey, the Steelers' All-Pro center and 2010 first-rounder from Florida, worked with the offensive linemen throughout The Opening.

"We're not here to change anything their coaches have given them," Maurkice Pouncey said. "We're here to give them extra stuff to put in the toolbox."

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GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- Chris Rainey’s speed and versatility made him someone the Pittsburgh Steelers just couldn’t pass up.

The Steelers selected the former Florida running back in the fifth round (159^th overall pick) of the NFL draft on Saturday, and coach Mike Tomlin is already thinking about the different ways he can use Rainey on offense and special teams.

"We, of course, are excited about his skill set,” Tomlin said on ESPN shortly after the selection. "We think that this guy is capable of helping us in a lot of ways: in the backfield, outside the backfield, in the return game."

The 5-foot-8, 180-pound Rainey did all of that at Florida. He finished his career with 3,948 all-purpose yards (fourth in school history) and his 2,464 yards rushing is ninth on the school’s all-time list. He also holds the Southeastern Conference record with six blocked punts.

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GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- It's definitely not a good sign about Florida's NFL Draft prospects when there's significantly more talent watching the pro scout day workouts than participating in them.

Quarterback John Brantley, running back Chris Rainey, defensive tackle Jaye Howard, and receiver Deonte Thompson worked out in front of NFL scouts from 24 teams and one head coach -- Jacksonville's Mike Mularkey -- on Tuesday morning at Florida Field. None of those players are projected any higher than mid- to late-round selections, which would snap the school's five-year streak of having at least one player taken in the first round.

Contrast that with the talented group of former UF players who watched the workouts. There were four first-round picks -- Maurkice and Mike Pouncey, Travis Taylor, and Percy Harvin -- and four others who were taken in the seventh round or higher: Terry Jackson (fifth), Riley Cooper (fifth) and Kerwin Bell (seventh). Mularkey was a ninth-round pick.

"We need more guys out there in position to be drafted," UF coach Will Muschamp said. "That's pretty evident as you go through our last two pro days.

"We need to do a better job recruiting. We need to do a better job evaluating. We need to do a better job of developing our players and coaching. Bottom line."

Rainey ran a 4.38 in the 40 0n Tuesday. His biggest goal was to prove to the scouts that he can catch the ball out of the backfield. As to where the 5-foot-9, 180-pound athlete fits on the next level, he said he's basically a smaller Harvin clone. He can play receiver or running back, return kicks and punts, and play on kick or punt block units.

"My goal is to confuse the scouts and they do the rest [in figuring out where he should play]," said Rainey, who finished his career with 3,948 all-purpose yards and 21 touchdowns. "If you’re going to be a playmaker on the field, that’s all that matters."

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GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- Florida quarterback John Brantley has begun his post-college career by signing with agent Joel Segal.

John Brantley Sr., said his son signed the contract on Friday. Florida running back Chris Rainey also signed with Segal last week. Segal has a history of signing former Florida players, including Percy Harvin, Mike Pouncey, Maurkice Pouncey and Ahmad Black. Some of Segal's other clients are Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Michael Vick, Tennessee running back Chris Johnson, and Miami running back Reggie Bush.

Brantley, who finished his career with 4,750 yards and 30 touchdowns passing, has been working out at the Coach Tom Shaw Training Program at ESPN's Wide World of Sports in Orlando. Brantley will play in the East-West Shrine Game at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Fla., on Jan. 21.

"I've never seen him this excited," Brantley, Sr., said of his son. "He's excited about the [draft] process and the East-West Shrine Game. It's all good. He's finally healthy and ready to roll."