Dante Fowler Jr.: Breaking Down Florida DE's Pro-Day Workout

Dante Fowler Jr., one of the top prospects in the 2015 NFL draft, was a limited participant at Florida's pro day Tuesday. He's putting the final touches on a resume he hopes will prove good enough for him to come off the board inside the top five.  

As for where the Gators standout thinks he should go on draft day, well, perhaps that should be obvious. Tom Pelissero of USA Today passed along the defensive end's answer to that question: "I would draft me, because I think I'm the No. 1 guy that really should be coming off the board."

Edgar Thompson of the Orlando Sentinel reports all 32 teams had a presence at the pro day to watch Fowler and his fellow Gators work out:

Bleacher Report's Matt Miller broke down Fowler's outlook:

Robbie Andreu of The Gainesville Sun noted the top prospect was among the group of players who opted against running the 40-yard dash:

It's a common decision for players near the top of the draft to skip the athletic testing. Unless they totally bombed during one of the tests at the NFL Scouting Combine, there just isn't much upside to running and potentially posting a poor time for scouts to consider.

Fowler posted a 4.60 in the 40 in Indianapolis, as noted by the draft's official site. He clearly felt comfortable with that performance along with his results in the other athletic tests to stand on those numbers heading into the draft.

On Tuesday, the defensive end focused instead on some on-field work.

Ben Murphy of ESPN 850 Gainesville provided a look at some impressive change of direction and agility from Fowler:

Albert Breer of the NFL Network provided another rep of that drill:

Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times highlighted the short-area quickness:

Richard Johnson of Jacksonville.com showcased a coverage drill:

"

Fowler again https://t.co/VIuZ0dELN4

— Richard Johnson (@RagjUF) April 7, 2015"

Depending on where he lands, Fowler could end up playing defensive end or outside linebacker. It was important for him to showcase some versatility during the pro day—both the explosiveness up front and the ability to play in space. He was able to accomplish that.

He even commented on attending the draft and had a unique perspective on that, via Auman:

The only concern Auman had was the fact Fowler seemed to get worn down:

Afterward, Ryan O'Halloran of the Florida Times-Union noted the draft expectations as sky high from the immediate-impact defender:

Gil Brandt of NFL Network reported that Fowler solidified his draft stock overall:

Breer notes Fowler is now going out on a tour to visit some teams with high picks:

Fowler's former coach, Will Muschamp, likes Fowler as a fit in Atlanta should the Falcons decide to select him, via Vaughn McClure of ESPN:

"

"I think Dante would fit perfectly for Dan in that Leo (stand-up pass-rusher) position," Muschamp said. "He's the ideal guy for that position. I think Dante's a good fit for anybody, really. But certainly Dan was very instrumental in his recruitment to come to the University of Florida. I know they are very close. And I know Dan feels very strongly about Dante."

"

All told, nothing that happened Tuesday should have a negative impact on his draft stock. He performed pretty much as you'd expect from a highly touted prospect. It's unlikely he'll go No. 1 given the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' need for a quarterback, but he should go early.

Fowler has proven worthy of the hype so far. Nothing is certain until he starts performing at a high level on Sundays, though.