Chris Rainey And Jaye Howard Participate In Senior Bowl

Chris Rainey and Jaye Howard were the only Florida Gators invited to the 2012 Senior Bowl this year, and they drew plenty of praise. Rainey, according to reports, practiced at running back, wide receiver and return man. While his stats as a running back during the game weren't all that impressive (one carry for five yards), he was impressive as a kick returner and in the week of preparation leading up to the game.

As a return man, Rainey returned three kicks for 60-yards, and returned one punt for for 17-yards. However, Rainey drew a lot of praise from the South Team coaching staff, which was the staff of the Washington Redskins. In addition to Redskins head coach Mike Shanahan praising Rainey for picking things up quickly, ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr. also noticed Rainey, saying:

"Florida, right now, is looking at guys that are figuring on day three of the draft," he said. "Rainey’s an interesting guy cause he has speed and he’s got some versatility and certainly could fit what a team’s looking for in maybe the fourth-round area."

As for Howard, things were going fantastic until suffering a minor injury on Wednesday. Howard did play during the game on Saturday, but defensive statistics weren't made available. Howard was the Gators' first ever defensive lineman to compete in the Senior Bowl. Which is kind of surprising considering the linemen that have gone through Gainesville in the past.

Also competing on the South Team was former Gators cornerback Janoris Jenkins. Who, you know, still thinks he should have been playing for the Gators this year. Well, if Urban Meyer had remained the head coach.