Cobb Hoping Big Senior Season Turns Into NFL Opportunity
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- David Cobb set a single-season rushing record with the University of Minnesota football team last season, one that helped turn the Gopher program around.
Now he's hoping to get a pay day as a result. Cobb is preparing for the upcoming NFL Draft, which means overcoming an injury. WCCO's Mike Max paid him a visit.
David Cobb did enough with the Gophers to merit a look. His Big-10 career blossomed over the final two seasons after sitting on the bench two years and wondering if he'd get his shot.
"In the back of your head you're always going to check the door. In reality it just didn't seem like it would happen. But I was lucky enough to just get that opportunity," Cobb said.
The next step for Cobb is to spend most of his time in the weight room, rehabbing a nagging quad injury. It meant he had to move his pro day from April 1 to April 13. That's when NFL scouts will assess him, and that's when he needs to be physically ready.
He's trying to get into game shape to impress potential employers.
"It's going good but again, you just want to make sure that you're 100 percent and you can give your best effort because that might be the only time that a team gets to see you," Cobb said. "If that's going to be the first impression, you want to make sure the last impression is a good one for them."
With his teammate and cousin Damien Wilson, they push to the next step, the next opportunity. It's a chance to play in the NFL, a big one. That's why the need to be in the weight room.
"I think the weight room, the biggest thing is it just helps you stay healthy. It helps you take those blows and it gets some of those kinks out of your body," Cobb said. "Like in your shoulders and your legs, and you play the game with your legs."
His numbers will do some of the talking, and so will his commitment. He graduated from Minnesota in December with a degree in sports management.
"It means a lot. When I'm here my four years I'm not really thinking about graduation. I'm just going to class, getting a good grade and playing football," Cobb said. "But when you actually get the diploma and get your degree, it means a lot to you."