Ryan Held had heard there were something like 28 running backs chosen to go to the NFL Combine. Yet, no Devine Ozigbo? Felt like a syntax error to most who follow Husker football, including the man who coaches Nebraska's running backs.

"I mean, tell me there are 28 better running backs than him in the United States," Held said this week. "I just don't believe it."

He has company.

But what did Ozigbo do with that information? Pretty much the same thing he did while given a supporting role his first three years at Nebraska, and not being the starter when the 2018 season began. Processed it, then pushed ahead and made the best of it.

"It was something I definitely wanted, but when I found out I didn't get it, I was like, 'All right,'" Ozigbo said. "It kind of shed a lot of light on (Nebraska's) Pro Day, which is going to help everybody and stuff like that. So it's one of those things I wanted, didn't get, but had to quickly get over. Something I couldn't dwell on and had to get ready for today."

That Ozigbo saw himself being slighted as being a possible benefit to his teammates will only add to the reasons he's become such a favorite of Husker fans. And he's not wrong about a bigger spotlight probably finding Nebraska's Pro Day because of it. There were 29 out of 32 NFL teams that showed up in Lincoln on Thursday, and certainly the Husker running back was the biggest draw since Stanley Morgan had already put up his marks at the combine.

And some Huskers who maybe came into the day under-the-radar delivered while those eyes were on them – perhaps none more so than offensive lineman Tanner Farmer, whose 39 reps on the bench equaled the highest number put up at this year's combine.

"We knew he was going to do something crazy, but 39's impressive," Ozigbo said.

Linebacker Luke Gifford put up some good marks (23 reps on the bench, with a solid 40s and a 35-inch vertical) while weighing in at 243. And Dedrick Young tested well, with the former high school running back reportedly running a 4.51 time in the 40 while having 26 reps on the bench.

Even with all the pressure on, at times it felt like a summer workout to Ozigbo, with "all the boys around" like the old days.

Ozigbo's 40 time from the day isn't known for sure, though it was believed to be somewhere in the 4.5s. Weighing in at 222 pounds, he did 19 reps on the bench. Some of his best work came in drills that exhibited his explosiveness, with a vertical of 37 inches, which would have been fourth best among running backs at the combine, and a broad jump of 10-4, which would have been sixth at the combine at his position.

His biggest goal?

"I wanted to show I wasn't necessarily slow," Ozigbo said. "Running decent. Looking fast. Looking quick out of my cuts. I think overall I did a pretty good job of that. I'm happy with that."

Scouts tell him they like how he can work his feet for a big back, and also how he can catch the ball out of the backfield.

Ozigbo's best resume offering is his film from 2018, of course. He not only put up 1,082 rushing yards, but averaged 7.0 yards per rush. Then he attended a college all-star game in January and earned some solid reviews there, which only added to the surprise of most when the combine invite didn't come.

But Ozigbo is hopeful more teams are going to want to see him for one-on-one meetings after Thursday's effort in Lincoln. This whole experience has been something far different to him, with Ozigbo getting ready for Pro Day at a training center in Boca Raton, Florida.

"Me, the way, I like to work out ... is to just go until you get tired and stuff like that," Ozigbo said. "But when you're training for a Pro Day, or a track meet, you don't want to be dead by the time the meet comes. So you do things for a little bit, do it hard, then kind of relax a lot. It's not really like a grind like I prefer, but you have to understand that's kind of the name of the game ... I'm happy it's over."

Happy to go back to the grind.

Because it's the grinding nature of Ozigbo that helped flip his football story in just a year. He's been asked to put his senior year in perspective many times. From third-stringer to possible draft pick? People love the perseverance.

It's also maybe one of the reasons why Ozigbo wasn't going to waste too many minutes worrying about the lack of a combine invite. He has a strong perspective on his climb. A year ago at this time, he watched Huskers a year older go through Pro Day. He couldn't have known then he would be such an attraction when his turn came around.

"It's weird because I remember having a conversation with my brother towards the end of the season, like, 'Honestly, this is a blessing right now,'" Ozigbo said. "Because imagine, this time last year, we never thought we'd be having this conversation, talking about taking the next step, going to the next level. I feel blessed to be here. I worked hard. Things kind of fell into place. Coaches gave me a shot. Team stepped up ...

"I didn't think I'd be in this situation but I'm happy to be here."