Welcome to March.

While this month normally becomes the favorite time of the year for college basketball fanatics and bracketologists, it’s also the first real look at prospects for the upcoming NFL Draft.

As the NFL Combine gets underway in Indianapolis, Ind., the Iowa State Daily football writers went head to head to debate which former Cyclone has the most to gain in the league’s biggest pre-draft evaluation.

A school-record six players from Iowa State have been invited to the combine along with more than 300 other NFL hopefuls. The former Cyclones will participate in drills Thursday through Saturday.

Belinson: Brock Purdy

Brock Purdy, Iowa State’s best quarterback in program history, will likely have a new role in the NFL.

I see him starting off in a backup role and potentially — depending on what organization he lands in — competing for a starting job if it all works out.

That’s no shade to Brock, but his physical toolkit isn’t as desirable of a package as some of the other top quarterbacks in this year’s class. He doesn’t have break-away speed. His arm strength is lacking at times.

But that’s why I think he’s got the most to gain from the combine.

The combine is not about the skill sessions that some make it out to be. It’s about teams getting to know players and showing how quickly you can process the speed of the NFL.

I think Brock can shine in that setting. Matt Campbell has talked about Brock’s ability to know everything in the Cyclone offense and become a true master of a system. That’s a desirable trait, and NFL teams might be willing to look past some less-than-sexy measurables for it.

Sports Illustrated ranked the top-20 quarterback prospects in this year’s draft class, and he ranked significantly behind the top of the class like Kenny Pickett, Malik Willis, Matt Corral, Sam Howell, Desmond Ridder and Carson Strong. Brock is far down that list, but he can make up for it with a big week in Indianapolis this week.

I think if Brock can show teams his ability to make up for what he lacks in physical tools with football smarts and a willingness to take a backup role to start off, teams might find that appealing as opposed to a guy who might be delusional about their place on an NFL roster.

And certainly, if he shows he can make downfield throws with accuracy, that wouldn’t hurt his case either.

Powell: Chase Allen

If we’re asking the question of who has much to gain, my answer is the 24-year-old from Nixa, Mo.

What does it say about Iowa State’s offense that they have two tight ends that received invites to the NFL Combine? We know Charlie Kolar is a sure-handed, tall, contested-catch machine that could make any team in the NFL happy.

What if Chase Allen is the exact same thing?

Allen’s targets weren’t that of a prototypical tight end that has NFL draft aspirations. But he was playing behind an All-American. Allen showed flashes of physicality, speed, agility and catching ability that you want in a tight-end; he just did it in a smaller sample size.

Now, when he takes the field in Indianapolis, he’ll be able to show off all he has to offer in front of scouts, coaches and general managers without having to share snaps with his best buddy and fellow tight end Kolar.

As far as his measurables, he’s listed as 6’7”, 250 pounds. That height makes him an inch or two taller than notable NFL tight ends George Kittle, Travis Kelce or Rob Gronkowski.

He has size, he has the experience and he certainly has the blocking and catching characteristics that might make some NFL teams that tend to operate in heavier personnel give Allen a shot.

On-field attributes aside, the leadership and personality traits that his head coach, Matt Campbell, raved about time and time again during this past season might excite NFL teams as well. He’s older than most draftees at 24, and with that comes the seasoned veteran prowess that he’ll be able to show in interviews with teams.

If Allen can put on a solid performance and really jump off the page in a couple of areas, he could find himself on a few radars come draft time. There’s a higher chance he goes undrafted, but any team looking for sure-fire guys who have natural abilities and experience might give Allen a call.