Florida defensive tackle Dominique Easley, out for the season with a knee injury and rehabilitating in preparation for the NFL Scouting Combine, has hired agent Tom Santanello and withdrew from classes earlier this week, according to palmbeachpost.com.
"He's already started walking and started the rehab," Santanello said. "He is very, very happy. Everything is going smooth."
Easley was eligible for a medical redshirt after tearing his ACL that would have allowed him to return to UF in 2014, but coach Will Muschamp said at the time that the 6-foot-2, 280-pound Easley had opted to move onto the NFL. Although undersized for an interior defensive lineman in the NFL, Easley's quickness is highly-regarded among NFL scouts. He played some at defensive end in his college career, a position that could also suit him at the next level.
"Talking to some scouts, he showed some of the most explosive first steps anyone had seen on the D-line in college in a long time," Santanello said. "He's on track to be right there again. He's not worried. He's a pretty confident kid."
Easley has roughly a four-month window between surgery and the combine, not enough time for full rehabilitation of such an injury, but enough to make significant progress. Each year, the combine brings together 300-plus prospects to Indianapolis for a variety of physical, mental and personal testing to help NFL clubs with evaluations. Many players, particularly those coming off injuries, choose to participate on only a limited basis.
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