Baltimore Ravens

Callaway, Elam seek 2nd chances at Florida's pro day

Published Mar. 28, 2018 4:15 p.m. ET

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GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) Receiver Antonio Callaway and safety Matt Elam have spent the last few weeks working out together in South Florida.

They chatted about their Florida careers. They pushed each other to get better. They counted down to this day.

It was a second chance for both of them, really.

Callaway and Elam were among the main attractions at Florida's annual pro day Wednesday, two former college stars looking to land on NFL rosters after a year away from football.

Callaway's path seems much more certain than Elam's future.

''I was young. I was dumb. I was immature,'' said Callaway, his 6-week-old daughter nearby. ''I've grown a lot, actually. I've got a little girl to look after. I ain't got no choice but to be the man.''

The 21-year-old Callaway was suspended all of last season while charged with felony credit card fraud. It was the latest misstep for a talented receiver who was once considered a lock to be a first-round draft pick.

Callaway also was cited for marijuana possession in 2017 and was part of a Title IX investigation in 2016 that centered on an alleged sexual battery. He was later found not responsible for the alleged misconduct.

He said every NFL team he spoke to at the scouting combine and since wanted to know about the same thing: His past.

''They already know I'm a good athlete. Just know I'm not a bad person,'' Callaway said. ''Somebody's just got to believe in me.''

Callaway looked smooth and speedy during drills Wednesday. He stood on his 40-yard dash time (4.41 seconds) from the combine, but performed the three-cone drill, the 20-yard shuttle and the 60-yard shuttle. He also caught passes from quarterbacks Malik Zaire and Austin Appleby.

His only issue was fielding punts: He dropped the first two he tried to catch. It was the same problem that plagued him at Florida in 2016.

Still, one NFL team surely will take a chance on Callaway during next month's NFL draft. It probably will be in the first three rounds, too.

It remains to be seen if Elam will get another shot.

An All-American at Florida, Elam was a first-round draft pick by Baltimore in 2013. He started 15 games as a rookie and 11 more in his second season before injuries and poor performances derailed his career.

He spent the entire 2015 season on injured reserve and missed half of 2016. He also was suspended one game for violating the NFL's substance-abuse policy.

But the bigger turning point in his career came in February 2017.

The Ravens had already decided not to re-sign Elam when he arrested in Miami Beach and charged with possession of marijuana, possession of marijuana with the intent to deliver or sell and possession of a controlled substance, oxycodone.

He was arrested again three months later, charged with larceny grand theft and battery after a dispute with his girlfriend over a cellphone in Palm Beach County.

Charges in both cases were later dismissed.

Elam said he had no offers to play in 2017. He was hoping to open some eyes Wednesday.

''It's been a year off for me,'' Elam said. ''I've been trying to get myself right mentally and family - to show these people that I deserve a second chance and the opportunity to do this game that I love, that I've been doing all my life. It's tough. Just know what I came from and what I overcame, just having these opportunities to be out here again and do it again in front of coaches and my nephew, former teammates.

''It's great. I didn't think I was going to get this opportunity.''

The 26-year-old Elam fought back tears as he spoke five years after his previous pro day. He blamed his problems on ''childish mistakes, immature mistakes.''

''Everybody deserves a second chance,'' he said. ''I feel like your first mistake don't determine what kind of person you really are. Your second chance and what you do with it determines who you really are. I've been through a lot, overcame a lot and I feel like I'm still young.

''I can help a club out in a lot of ways. I'm a great teammate; I can be a great leader. I can be a great guy in the building. I feel like we do great things on the field. I feel like I can help a club out right now.''

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More AP college football: www.collegefootball.ap.org and https://twitter.com/AP-Top25

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