GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- As the headliner at Florida's Pro Day on Tuesday, Dante Fowler Jr. received the bulk of attention from NFL personnel and media in attendance.
But ask Fowler who might be the Gators' biggest eye-opener in the draft, he quickly mentions linebacker Neiron Ball.
"Neiron is freakishly athletic," Fowler said. "He can rush the passer and be that true Will linebacker or that Sam linebacker. Any coach would love to get him. I know he's going to be a surprise."
Seems many are starting to agree with Fowler.
Former Dallas Cowboys executive Gil Brandt, now a senior media analyst for NFL.com, said Ball passed the eye test.
"He really looked good in the positional drills," Brandt wrote. "Ball was smooth and fast, and he has good hips so he can turn and run with no problem at all."
That is the kind of analysis Ball was hoping to hear when he arrived at Florida Field on Tuesday.
Ball attended the NFL Combine in February but didn't participate in drills other than the bench press due to a season-ending knee injury last season. Ball was hurt in Florida's loss to South Carolina and underwent microfracture surgery.
For the past four months he has been training in Miami with teammates Trenton Brown and Chaz Green in preparation for UF's Pro Day.
"I knew I had to be ready for this day," Ball said.
Ball checked in Tuesday at 6-foot-2, 236 pounds. He posted official 40-yard dash times of 4.6 and 4.62 seconds, and had a 34 ½-inch vertical jump.
He left satisfied that he showed NFL teams he is healthy and worthy of an opportunity.
"I think I did pretty good," Ball said. "I put in a lot of work after the season because I had an injury I had to overcome. I feel like I'm almost 100 percent, very close. [I wanted to show] that my knee is fine. There is nothing wrong with my knee, and that I'm fast.
"A lot of the teams are surprised that I'm doing as well as I am because microfracture surgery is a big deal."
Of course, the microfracture surgery is a distant third on what Ball has had to overcome to reach this point.
Ball lost both his parents before the age of 10 and in February 2011, after suffering a massive headache at practice, doctors determined that Ball had a congenital condition known as arteriovenous malformation (AVM), which is where the brain's blood vessels get tangled and rupture.
Ball overcame those obstacles to become a starter in his final two seasons with the Gators. He said he has a couple of visits planned with teams before the draft and wants to build on the positive momentum from Tuesday.
He liked Fowler's assessment.
"I agree with him," Ball chuckled. "I think I can pass rush, and play at the Will [linebacker] position. I'm good at all three positions. I can pass rush, I can cover, and I can play in the box. I just need an opportunity. That's all I need.
"It would be a dream come true. You've got to be blessed to play in the NFL and a lot of people don't get that chance."
