The amount of program-changing talent inside the Bergstrom Football Complex Tuesday for Pro Day showed the unprecedented level of success at Iowa State — and served as one last get together before the NFL Draft and whatever comes next.

As the players trickled back into Ames for the Pro Day, it’s clear that they were looking forward to Tuesday for the company just as much as the chance to bolster their respective draft stocks.

“I’ve been back in Ames for a few weeks. It was just so good to be back around the guys and still keep sparking those relationships,” Breece Hall said. “It was basically just us out here playing catch and doing things that we do every day.”

As the 40-yard dashes were being run and the high jumps were taking place, there was a sense of gratitude and pride with this being the last real football event for Cyclone cornerstones like Charlie Kolar and Brock Purdy as they pursue their next goal: the NFL.

“These are my best friends,” Kolar said after his drills. “This was the last thing at Iowa State, really, and I couldn’t be more grateful to be here with these guys.”

The Pro Day, a culmination of the hard work put in by the athletes in their time at Iowa State and a chance to firmly plant themselves in NFL draft discussions, served as an opportunity to share laughs and experiences one last time.

And these players’ immense levels of success bring with it the potential for unchartered draft waters for Iowa State.

Hall could go in the first round and would become the second Cyclone ever to accomplish such a feat, the first since George Amundson was picked 14th overall in 1973.

If three other Cyclones hear their name called, it would make for the most players from Iowa State drafted in a single draft since 1977. The record for Cyclones drafted is six, happening last in 1974 and first in 1939, when there were 22 rounds.

Their careers in college are littered with All-Big 12, All-American and positional awards honors. They’ve participated in five straight bowl games, the longest streak in school history.

So even when they mostly wore casual t-shirts and shorts at their pro day, the pride for the cardinal and gold jerseys they wore over the years could still be seen in spades.

“For us, our brotherhood here is real,” Purdy said. “We played our four years here and devoted everything for each other for success on the field… it was so good seeing them. That’s the culture that we have; it’s going to last forever, for the rest of our lives,” Purdy added.

Charlie Kolar had limited scholarship offers coming out of high school, while Purdy’s first Power Five offer didn’t come until his senior year of high school.

Jake Hummel and Eyioma Uwazurike, who both participated in the Pro Day as well, came into Iowa State as three-star recruits. 

Yet, they all had 31 NFL teams and 49 scouts in Ames Tuesday with some genuine interest. Even the players like Uwazurike and Hummel, who don’t show up on most mock draft boards, got recognition from their teammates for their efforts.

In all, it was a day filled just as much with gratitude and glee as it was with clipboards and stopwatches.