While 23 NFL scouts ran drills on the field, Kirby Van Der Kamp was killing time. He could be seen in the back corner of the Bergstrom Football Complex, just waiting for his chance.

Finally, his time had come. After nearly two hours of warming up, Van Der Kamp finally took the practice field.

“I actually warmed up twice because it took so long,” Van Der Kamp said. “In the weight room, I just cheered the guys on. I didn’t see a point in benching or running and straining anything before I punted. When they started position work, I warmed up again to make sure my foot was loose.”

Van Der Kamp then headed to the practice field outside, which had a light layer of snow left over from the night before. A gusty wind didn’t make the conditions any easier for the NFL hopeful either.

But by the end of the day, Van Der Kamp was pretty content with where he stood.

“It was pretty much the tundra. Not quite the Kansas game what we had, but it was pretty slick out there,” Van Der Kamp said. “I was happy with what I did in those conditions. At the beginning I was just trying to get my footing out there, and after that I started to hit some nice ones.”

Van Der Kamp finished the 2013 season with 84 punts, averaging 41.6 yards per punt. In fact, ESPN NFL Draft analyst Mel Kiper has Van Der Kamp listed as his top-ranked punter headed into the draft.

While Kiper has him going as high as the third or fourth round of the draft, Van Der Kamp has very little expectations headed into draft day. He’s just hoping for the best, and seeing where it takes him.

“You don’t really know how much a team is looking at you, or how much they’re really looking at a punter,” Van Der Kamp said. “I just expect to be a free agent and just hope for the best to be drafted.”

Several other notable Cyclones took part in Iowa State’s pro day on March 25. Along with Jeremiah George, Jacques Washington and Deon Broomfield hoped to impress the scouts in attendance. Even Jeff Woody was out on the practice field looking to improve his draft stock.

Whether or not these former Cyclones will be drafted this May, ISU strength and conditioning coach Yancy McKnight is extremely proud of his guys and knows that they are ready for the next level.

“These guys did about nine weeks of training. They trained over spring break and put a ton of work in,” McKnight said. “It’s kind of the same old thing. What they put into it is what they get out of it. This is truly their last time competing as a Cyclone, and it was a really successful day. The kids came out and did a great job competing.”