MKRob Sports

Florida Gators wide receiver Riley Cooper is setting his sights on the NFL, not the major leagues.

Cooper, a 25th-round draft pick of baseball’s Texas Rangers, said Monday that he has decided to focus on a pro football career. He was set to receive half of his signing bonus at a scheduled physical on Jan. 17, which had to be put on hold while he was playing football.

“Football’s definitely the route I want to take,” Cooper said. “Toward the last couple of weeks of the football season, I knew that’s what I wanted to do. That’s my makeup, my mentality. I’m just a football player, not a baseball player.”

Tim Tebow’s favorite target started preparations on Monday for the Senior Bowl along with his Gators quarterback. Cooper was a second-team All-SEC pick and led the team with 961 receiving yards and nine touchdowns.

He said he has received indications he would be drafted anywhere from the second to the fourth round, but figures he has more speed than NFL teams think.

“They’ve got me down as a 4.5 in my 40,” Cooper said. “The way I look at it is, all I can do is go up. I’m not a 4.5.”

The 6-foot-3, 214-pounder plans to run it again at the NFL combine.