FARGO -- Tyler Roehl took the 225 pounds of weights and proceeded to lift them like they were plastic. He did it 30 times, which in the North Dakota State football circles is an area usually reserved for offensive linemen.
It was just one impressive exercise in NDSU's annual pro day, an orchestrated workout of running and lifting in front of NFL scouts.
"You give it your best and hope at least one person likes you and gives you a shot," Roehl said.
The workout attracted more scouts than usual -- 13 teams were represented at the Bison Sports Arena on Tuesday morning. Roehl was joined by former Bison teammates Nate Agbetola, Jerimiah Wurzbacher, John Richardson, Nick Schommer, Ramon Humber, Joe Lardinois, Kole Heckendorf, Mike Maresh and Tyler Jangula.
By some accounts, Roehl, Heckendorf and Schommer may have helped their stock. Heckendorf, for instance, ran the 40-yard dash in 4.34 seconds.
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"I couldn't have had a better day today," said Heckendorf, a receiver.
In addition to his running, Heckendorf did not drop a pass in the skills portion of the workout. Roehl was timed at 4.44 in the 40 by one scout, although Roehl said most scouts probably had him around 4.5.
A tailback the last two years at NDSU, he's being projected as a fullback in the NFL.
Roehl, Humber, Wurzbacher and Heckendorf have been working with personal trainer Bill Welle at Velocity Sports Performance in Champlin Park, Minn., since January.
"I enjoyed every minute of it," Roehl said.
"We're getting guys in the NFL, they're hearing our name out there," Heckendorf said. "There's a lot of interest."
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