Ahtyba Rubin was a last-minute addition to the Senior Bowl.

The former Cyclone nose guard might not be waiting long to hear his name called during the NFL draft after a strong performance at the league’s 2008 Scouting Combine in Indianapolis.

“I think between getting down to the Senior Bowl and a fairly good effort yesterday [at the combine], I think this kid has moved up into that second tier,” said Frank Coyle, head scout and publisher of Draftinsiders.com. “Now, does that get him in the top 100? I don’t know, but he’s probably a middle-round pick at this particular point.”

Rubin, a 6-foot-3-inch, 320-pound nose guard from Pensacola, Florida, recorded 42 tackles for the Cyclones last season and was a late replacement on the 2008 Under Armour Senior Bowl after an injury freed a roster spot.

Coyle said many scouts he talked with were impressed with Rubin’s speed and strength, as the former Cyclone ran a 5.22-second 40-yard dash and finished second among defensive linemen with 35 reps at the bench press.

“They [NFL teams] want a real space-eater in the middle, somebody that can occupy two blockers and free the linebackers up to run the play,” Coyle said. “He’s got a good base, he’s got some good initial quickness between the tackle, so he does make plays, too.”

Rubin spent the past two months working in New Jersey to prepare for the combine a with former Cyclone, Todd Blythe. He wasn’t as impressed as Coyle with his workouts.

“I think I did OK, but I think I could have done better,” said Rubin.

Rubin joined Blythe and outside linebacker Alvin Bowen as the only Cyclones to receive invitations to the NFL’s annual event.

Blythe, a 6-foot-4-inch, 210-pound wide receiver from Indianola, is the school’s all-time leader in touchdown receptions and receiving yards and spent time in Indianapolis meeting with coaches from all 32 teams.

“It was a great experience,” Blythe said. “It gave me a chance to get feedback from teams – not just from scouts, but from position coaches and also head coaches, coordinators, guys like that.”

He also got to show them what he could do. The former ISU receiver ran in the middle of the pack with most wide receivers, turning in a 40-yard dash time of 4.61 seconds. Blythe said most of his pre-combine times were lower.

“The couple of weeks leading up to the combine, I had been running in the high 4.40’s, my goal,” he said. “So I was a little disappointed I didn’t hit that.”

Blythe said many scouts had projected him as a third-to-fifth-round selection. Coyle said his times may have hurt that opportunity.

“He’s got really nice size, great hands, he runs good routes, but he’s not fast and he’s not quick,” Coyle said. “The question he has to answer is ‘is he going to get open in the NFL?’ and that’s questionable.”

What wasn’t questionable is what Bowen was able to do in his time at Iowa State. The 6-foot-3-inch, 224-pound outside linebacker led the nation with 12.9 tackles per game in 2006. In 2007, he earned second-team All-Big 12 honors with 99 tackles. Now, he’s showing teams what he can do in person and has met with officials from the Indianapolis Colts and New Orleans Saints.

“For the most part, everyone says they love the way I play,” Bowen said. “I play the game with a passion. It’s what they love to see.”

Coyle said they’d also like him to get bigger, too.

“I like him as a will linebacker, but he has to get stronger and he has to run well and if you don’t, you just become another guy,” Coyle said.

Blythe will get a chance to move himself up on the draft board when he participates in Pro Day on March 26.