FORT COLLINS — Sometimes happiness is a second chance.
And Wednesday was just that for Colorado State tackle Cole Pemberton, one of about 15 players who went through the paces during the Rams’ pro day at the McGraw Athletic Center.
“I just wasn’t happy with my numbers at the combine,” Pemberton said. “I felt like I could do better, felt like I wanted to do better. And I did that. I felt good about what I did the second time around.”
Pemberton, who measured out at a very NFL-worthy 6-feet-7 1/4, 315 pounds at last month’s scouting combine in Indianapolis, significantly improved his 40- yard dash time as well as his performance in drills and the bench press.
After running 5.39 and 5.45 40-yard dashes in Indianapolis, Pemberton was at 5.25 and 5.24 Wednesday, according to two scouts in attendance. Pemberton also improved his bench press from 18 repetitions of 225 pounds at the combine to 23 in CSU’s weight room.
“I felt good on the home field, I guess,” Pemberton said. “. . . It’s what I wanted to do; I wanted to give teams another look, show them I could do a little better.”
Rams guard Shelley Smith, who had one of the best workouts in Indianapolis among the offensive linemen, stood pat on those numbers, but did go through position drills for the teams in attendance.
“I felt like I achieved my goals at the combine and could concentrate on training and preparing for the draft,” Smith said. “. . . I felt like what I did at the combine was a big step.”
Smith likely went to the combine as a late-round pick, but could continue to work his way up teams’ draft boards with some quality individual workouts in the coming weeks.
Rams wide receiver Rashaun Greer ran the fastest 40 of the day at 4.46, while running back Alex Square had the best vertical jump at 38 inches. Guard Adrian Martinez posted the best bench press with 37 repetitions, which would have been the fourth-best at the combine.
Rams safety Klint Kubiak was in attendance but did not work out. Kubiak will instead perform for scouts March 30 at the University of Houston’s pro day. Draft hopefuls, by NFL rules, can either work out at their schools or at a school in their hometown region.
At Colorado, which also held its pro day Wednesday, tight end Riar Geer did not work out, telling scouts he had a hamstring injury. Geer was the only CU player invited to this year’s combine.
However, Buffs cornerback and Mullen graduate Ben Burney made it worth the scouts’ trip, running a 4.38 40-yard dash to go with a 39-inch vertical jump. Burney will likely get increased attention in the weeks leading up to the draft because of his workout.
Jeff Legwold: 303-954-2359 or jlegwold@denverpost.com
