MEMORIAL STADIUM - It’s the time of year when NFL hopefuls look to make a first impression on NFL scouts and that’s what 14 huskers attempted to do on Wednesday morning during Nebraska’s 2023 Pro Day.

A scout or representative was on hand form all 32 NFL teams as athletes took part in a series of drills. The day began with a vertical jump and lifting session, before transitioning from the weight room to the Hawks Championship Center practice field. One player who sat out a number of drills was Trey Palmer who ran an NFL Combine best 4.3 40-yard dash. Palmer talked to reporters about his combine trip.

“It was really just a blessing to be there,” Palmer said. “I had dreamed of it growing up so I was just blessed to be there. I was mad at my time, I wanted a 4.2.”

Although he didn’t give the 40 another crack on Wednesday, Palmer did participate in pass catching drills, which the record-setting receiver says was crucial to put in front of a room full of NFL eyes.

“I had another chance to run routs in front of scouts, that’s football and I love football,” Palmer said.

Husker edge rusher Garrett Nelson did not receive an NFL combine invite, making Wednesday’s pro day all the more important for him. He talked about handling the pressure of the one day, potentially life-changing, event.

“I kind of equate it to a boxer getting ready for a big title fight… You train for 2-3 months and go to work for two hours,” Nelson joked. “You can put a lot of pressure on yourself, but I woke up today and said ‘man I get to do pro day, this is awesome, I get to get all these teams watch me workout’ so it was cool and I had guys like Trav [Travis Vokolek] there too so it was cool to do it with my teammates.”

One of the surprises from Pro Day was wide receiver Oliver Martin leading the pack in broad jump with an 11’2” jump as well as a quick 40-yard dash. Nelson said his workout went well.

“Felt smooth and fast and I got some good feedback from scouts, said I had a really good workout so I’m happy with how everything went,” Nelson said.

Caleb Tannor also took part in the days drills. Having battled injury on and off throughout his career, the edge rusher talked about the process of getting healthy ahead of pro day and the NFL draft.

“It’s tough, but it’s all a process. The process of all this has been great for me,” Tannor said “I was just happy to be able to go through this injury free.”

The NFL Draft is set for Apr. 23-27 in Kansas City. Nebraska football is currently in the midst of spring practice under first-year head coach Matt Rhule.