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NC State wide receiver Kelvin Harmon knew the 40-yard dash was an important task Wednesday, but his hurdling of a divider ribbon after making a catch perhaps stole the show at the Wolfpack’s Pro Day.

The rope separated onlookers from the field, and one of them yelled to Harmon to “jump” and he did.

“I wouldn’t say it was that crazy,” Harmon half-joked.

Harmon has been knee deep in training in California for the NFL Draft since December. He elected to bypass playing Texas A&M in the Gator Bowl, and he believes that move has paid off. He’s expected to go within the first three rounds of the draft.

“I’ve changed my environment and been around a lot of guys, like Dwayne Haskins [quarterback of Ohio State] or Greedy Williams [defensive back of LSU]," Harmon noted. “It was tough [not playing in Gator Bowl], but I think it really helped me because I had a chance to get my body back. I really started to prep for the combine.”

The physical 6-foot-2, 221-pound Harmon ran a 4.6-second 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine, and he tried to improve upon that number at the Wolfpack’s Pro Day on Wednesday. The newly minted Nike signee joked that he hopes his new cleats made the difference.

“I didn’t look at my times, but I felt great,” Harmon said.

Harmon also had a 32.5-inch vertical jump and he did 18 reps on the bench press at the combine.

“The whole combine experience, that was a blessing,” Harmon said. “I love football, so to do this all day, and not worry about going to class, you can just focus on your craft.”

Harmon exited NC State as one of its all-time top receivers. He caught 81 passes for 1,186 yards and seven touchdowns in 12 games his junior year.

“NC State has definitely prepared me,” Harmon said. “I want to be the No. 1 receiver in the draft. I think everything I bring to table, starting with off the field. I’m a professional off the field and handle my business quite well.

"On the field, 50-50 balls, like I said, it is 90-10 my way.”

Garrett Bradbury won the Dave Rimington Award for being the nation’s best center, but the attention he gained for excelling at the NFL Combine has helped put him another level.

Bradbury is expected to go within the first two rounds of the NFL Draft at center, which is not too shabby for a former Rivals.com two-star 240-pound tight end recruit out of Charlotte (N.C.) Christian High.

The 6-foot-3, 306-pounder ran a 4.92-second 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine, and also had a 31-inch vertical jump and did 34 reps on the bench press. He was able to rest on his numbers at Pro Day.

“It’s a lot of hurry up and wait with this process,” Bradbury said. “You want to look forward to it and you want to find out where you are going and playing football again. At the same time, all I can worry about is today.”

Bradbury said if you are confident in your abilities, the process isn’t that nerve-wracking. He’s tried to keep the steady lofty praise from NFL Draft gurus in perspective, but hopes to provide toughness and athleticism to his next stop.

“If you don’t think you are the best out here, what are you doing?” Bradbury said. “Everyone’s goal is that [being a first-round pick], but we’ll see in a month.”

Bradbury and the rest of NC State’s class of 2014 left a mark at the school, including producing a plethora of NFL Draft picks. Six were drafted last year. Bradbury is among those that will add to that total in 2019.

“We’ve had a lot of pride with that recruiting class since we’ve gotten here,” Bradbury said. “It’s no surprise to any of us because we knew what we had when we came in. The work ethic we all had from day one. It’s awesome because I’ve been with those guys for four-five years.”

Bradbury has been training and eating healthy 24/7 since he started concentrating on the NFL Draft process.

“We are being a professional athlete, that’s what everyone dreams of,” Bradbury said. “It’s phenomenal.”

Former NC State defensive end Darian Roseboro wanted to show what he could fully healthy and in great shape.

Roseboro felt good at what he accomplished at his Pro Day, thanks to being in training in the Atlanta area since January. Roseboro said he went from 17 percent body fat to 10 percent, and took off nine “bad pounds” but then gained 13 good ones to settle in at 276.

Chip Smith Performance Systems is where former NC State defensive linemen Justin Jones of the Los Angeles Chargers and B.J. Hill of the New York Giants trained at before getting drafted.

“It’s the best shape I’ve been in my whole entire life,” Roseboro said.

The 6-4 Roseboro was able to build off the foundation from NC State’s strength and conditioning program.

“Coach Thunder [Dantonio Burnette] will take you, and you come out of high school, he’ll build you up and be able to translate it to the field,” Roseboro said.

Roseboro said he battled a high ankle sprain that took away some of his explosiveness this past season. He was finally fully healthy when the Wolfpack fell to Texas A&M in the Gator Bowl. Roseboro finished with 37 tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss and one sack last year, but against the Aggies he had five tackles, including three for loss.

“I was banged up all season, but that is part of the game,” Roseboro said. “I was probably 65-70 percent. I did what I had to do and I don’t regret it.”

Roseboro wasn’t selected to the NFL Combine, so his task to get drafted became more difficult, but he’s confident in his abilities.

“I think it’s just about showing what type of character I have as a person,” Roseboro said. “I don’t have any red flags as far as character issues. I just wanted to come out here and show that I can compete at a high level and I’m 100 percent.”

Roseboro has also kept a watchful eye on the Wolfpack’s women’s basketball team this season too. NCSU plays Iowa in the Sweet 16 and Roseboro thinks they are poised to create some magic.

“I say Final Four,” Roseboro said. “Coach [Wes] Moore is a good coach and they have a really good team, as far as what they did with having four players out. The sky is the limit.”

NC State's loss at Clemson last fall was costly for several reasons. In addition to taking its first defeat of the year, the Wolfpack also was beat up physically. Included in the injuries was receiver Stephen Louis.

Louis can remember being hit while being tackled by another defender and hearing his left ankle snap. Louis quickly sensed something was wrong and tried to get off the field, but when he attempted to get up all he felt was a sharp pain. The diagnosis following the game was a high ankle sprain, a difficult injury for any football player but especially a receiver. His season was likely over.

Louis, who had also missed the season opener, faced a difficult decision. He redshirted his sophomore year because of surgeries on both shoulders. It was possible that Louis could go for a sixth season of eligibility. The timing made that a difficult option however.

Thus Louis decided to undergo ankle surgery and prepare for the NFL.

“I wouldn’t have found out until around this time,” Louis said about a potential sixth year. “It was up in the air. I prayed on it, talked to my family about it. I was really confident in myself in terms of moving on. I did what I thought I needed to do. I talked to my family to be sure it was the right decision and felt good about it.

“I would have loved to get the sixth year to be with my guys again and finish out the right way, but it was God’s plan.”

Louis caught 12 passes for 154 yards in five games last year to end his career with 91 receptions for 1,887 yards and five scores. Since he was denied a chance to perform at the NFL combine, which Louis admitted was disappointing, he was excited for Pro Day.

“I definitely didn’t sleep last night at all,” he said. “I woke up like 3 o’clock in the morning going through my routine.”

Louis knows the odds may be against him, but he remains confident.

“I know what type of player I am,” he said. “I know however I get that opportunity I am going to make the best of it. I am very confident in my abilities. Whether I get drafted or not, I know I am going to be doing what I dreamed of doing."

Sometimes it takes a while for news to get out. In the case of head coach Dave Doeren’s contract extension, it was negotiated in the aftermath of the regular season and finalized in December, but it was not announced until this week.

Regardless, Doeren is happy with the deal, which gave him a raise to $3.25 million and extended the length to 2023.

“Very thankful, excited,” Doeren said. “We love it here, family loves it here. We’ve built something that we’re proud of and want to continue to build and make that better. It’s great to recruit in the state and out of the state with a five-year contract. I think that really helps us here as a staff. I think players want to be recruited by coaches that aren’t going anywhere.

“I’ve made that commitment to this university and they’ve made it back to me and it means the world. We call this home. This is the longest I have lived anywhere since I was a child and we love it here. We’re really thankful for that.”

Doeren called Pro Day a “bittersweet day” for him, but for the second straight year he is set to have a large group of players drafted. Seven were selected a year go. That’s part of why Doeren’s contract was extended.

“I want to leave a legacy here, and I want to live one, too,” Doeren said. “I feel like we’ve done some good things, but we’re not satisfied with what we’ve done yet either.”

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