Seven weeks after injury, ex-Gopher Cobb finally has his pro day

After getting injured at the NFL combine, David Cobb had a seven-week wait to show teams he was back to full speed.

The former Gophers running back held his own pro day Monday at the university, and about 17 teams, including the Vikings, were on hand to watch.

The 5-11 Cobb weighed in at 227 pounds and ran the 40-yard dash in about 4.6 seconds. He said his best times have been a touch under 4.6, but he was just happy to prove he was healthy. He also did some cone drills, took handoffs and caught some passes.

"In the back of your mind, you still have that feeling from the combine in your leg," said Cobb, who strained his left quadriceps muscle on Feb. 21. "So you really don't know how it's going to hold up."

Cobb set Gophers records for rushing attempts (315) and rushing yards (1,629) last season, and impressed NFL teams at the Senior Bowl, where he had 11 rushes for 69 yards.

ESPN's Mel Kiper has Cobb ranked No. 9 among running backs in this draft. CBSSports.com has him at No. 12.

"I don't want to lie to you, it's stressful," Cobb said. "You see the TV, and you see your name steadily dropping [in the running back rankings]. You know you didn't do anything at the combine, and see other guys jumping you."

The NFL draft runs from April 30-May 2. Cobb said he'll be watching from his parents' home in Killeen, Texas. He sounded happy that the stopwatch portion of this process is over.

"Now I go back home, enjoy my family, go back to football — and stop with the track meet," he said.

Iowa night game

The battle for the Floyd of Rosedale Trophy is going prime time.

The Gophers play at Iowa on Nov. 14, and that will be a night game televised on Big Ten Network, the network announced Monday. (The specific start time wasn't announced.)

The Big Ten used to refrain from staging night games in November, but schools are embracing the trend, knowing that's when viewership is highest.