Nick Callender put his best foot forward for NFL scouts at CSU's pro day, turning heads with his strength and a vertical leap of 34 inches.

Then that best foot gave out, putting his hopes of getting into an NFL training camp this summer on hold.

Callender, a 6-foot-5 ½, 321-pound tackle, ruptured the Achilles tendon on his right foot at the end of his pro day workout March 8. He had surgery two days later but won't be able to play again until at least October, well after NFL teams have built their rosters and practice squads for the season.

The three-day NFL Draft begins Thursday. Callender returned home to Oakland, California – on crutches – to watch with friends and family. He doesn't expect to be selected but wants to be prepared just in case.

"A lot of teams that I've talked to said they were sorry to see what happened, but that they still were very impressed with the numbers I put up at pro day," Callender said. "… Some teams even told me I'm still on their board for this upcoming weekend and to keep my head up, keep rehabbing and keep getting back strong."

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The numbers really were impressive. His 34-inch vertical leap tied receiver Robert Ruiz for No. 1 among CSU's pro prospects and was 2 inches higher than the best mark among the 47 offensive lineman at the NFL Scouting Combine. And his 23 repetitions at 225 pounds in the bench press was five more than any other CSU player managed that day and equal to or better than 28 offensive linemen at the combine.

He's talked to a lot of teams since his surgery and participated as best he could in pro-day drills and interviews for local prospects last week with the Oakland Raiders and San Francisco 49ers. Callender grew up in Oakland and played high school football at St. Mary's, in nearby Hayward. He's also been in contact with the Houston Texans, Green Bay Packers and Philadelphia Eagles, among others.

Some teams told him they might bring him in for a tryout when he's back to full strength, in October or November. Others have told him they'll take a look at him again next year.

"A lot of the teams told me they're impressed with my athletic ability," Callender said. "Some teams see me at tackle, some teams say they'll put me inside at guard. One team even asked if I could snap and play center. I don't know about that; I haven't snapped in a while."

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CSU has had two players selected in the past three NFL drafts but isn't projected to have any picked this year for the first time since 2012.

Callender graduated from CSU in December and spent nine weeks working with a training group in New Jersey to prepare for the Rams' pro day. He's been lifting weights at CSU with linebacker Kevin Davis, the Rams' top pro prospect, for the past several weeks and plans to join a workout group of NFL players and prospects in Denver in mid-May.

Injury or not, he's not ready to give up his dream of playing in the NFL.

"As long as I've been playing football, that's been something that's on my mind, that I could play at that level," he said.

Follow reporter Kelly Lyell at twitter.com/KellyLyell and facebook.com/KellyLyell.news

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CSU's NFL hopefuls

Kevin Davis – Rams' leading tackler the past two seasons is rated No. 17 among inside linebacker prospects in this year's draft by CBSSports.com and No. 21 by ESPN's Todd McShay

Hayden Hunt – Semifinalist for the Ray Guy Award as the nation's top punter for the past two years and one of three finalists for the award in 2015 is rated the No. 6 prospect at punter by CBSSports.com

Nick Callender – CSU's starting left tackle for the past two seasons is rated the No. 45 prospect among offensive tackles by CBSSports.com

Fred Zerblis – Three-year starter for the Rams is rated the No. 46 prospect among guards by CBSSports.com

Jordon Vaden – Receiver for CSU for three years who moved to cornerback as a senior is rated No. 83 among cornerbacks by CBSSports.com