Cyclone athletes to take part in Iowa State Pro Day

Iowa+State+football+players+huddle+together+pregame+before+their+game+against+TCU+on+Nov.+26.

Collin Maguire/Iowa State Daily

Iowa State football players huddle together pregame before their game against TCU on Nov. 26.

James Powell

The Senior Bowl and NFL Combine are in the rear view, and the NFL Draft looms in April. Before the draft, however, comes Pro Day.

After sending a school-record six athletes to Indianapolis for the combine in early March, 10 athletes are set to take part in Iowa State’s Pro Day Tuesday.

Participants include: Breece Hall, Mike Rose, Brock Purdy, Chase Allen, Charlie Kolar, Enyi Uwazurike, Jake Hummel, Andrew Mevis, Derek Schweiger and Rory Walling.

The pro day allows for similar drills to take place that the athletes took part in at the NFL Combine but will also allow for a more in-depth look at more Cyclone athletes for NFL Scouts and front-office personnel.

Last year, Kene Nwangwu took part in the Cyclones’ Pro Day and wowed scouts enough for the Minnesota Vikings to draft him in the fourth round of the 2021 Draft. He ended up scoring two kick-return touchdowns and had 13 carries for the Vikings this past season.

With Iowa State already sending a record number of players to the NFL Combine, more attention is expected to be put on players such as Breece Hall, who made national headlines at the combine.

Not only is it the most athletes the Cyclones have ever had at the combine, but it was also in the top 15 in terms of numbers of athletes sent from one school in all of college football.

It is truly unprecedented at Iowa State to have as many athletes in contention to hear their name called in the NFL Draft, as Matt Campbell has not only put his program on the map but has drawn praise from national figures in turning out NFL talent in the past few years such as David Montgomery and Allen Lazard.

Now, the 2022 Class of Cyclones will have their chance to add to that list, as players such as Hall and Charlie Kolar are likely to hear their name called sometime during the NFL Draft.

For Hall, there’s a chance he could be drafted on day one, and certainly won’t still be on the board after day two.

Hall rushed for almost 3,000 yards in his three-year Cyclone career and caught 82 passes for over 700 yards, scoring 56 total touchdowns and owning/sharing 11 records at Iowa State.

He also was named the Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year and earned All-American status in 2020 and 2021. Hall finished third in the Doak Walker Award voting and 10th in the Heisman Trophy voting.

At the NFL Combine, he had the highest vertical jump of all running backs at 40 inches and also ran a 4.39 40-yard dash, cementing himself as one of, if not the, top running back in the 2022 draft.

Perhaps the next-highest Cyclone in terms of draft rankings, Charlie Kolar also had himself a career as tight end for Iowa State.

Kolar caught 168 passes for 2,181 yards over four years in the cardinal and gold. He was also named the 2022 William V. Campbell Trophy Winner for his efforts on the field and in the classroom and has been an All-Big 12 all four years.

Kolar will likely come off the board in the second or third day of the draft, but certainly seems NFL-ready and will have a chance to put on a show at the Iowa State Pro Day.

In all, the 10 participants will try and make one last impression on NFL scouts before the draft takes center stage next month.

This is the last event to take place for the 2022 Draft hopefuls before the draft itself takes place April 28-30 in Las Vegas.