Davis turns heads at USC Pro Day

The crowd at South Carolina’s Pro Day on Wednesday wasn’t as big as it was a year ago, but for players such as Mike Davis, it was just as big a deal.

Representatives from 28 of the NFL’s 32 teams showed up at Williams-Brice Stadium to watch Davis and 15 other former Gamecocks work out in hopes of improving their draft status or earning a draft status. For Davis, it was a chance to move from a projected middle- to late-round pick to an early round pick.

“I hope I helped myself,” he said. “I wanted to come out here and compete and show what I could do.”

CBSSports.com projects Davis as the 11^th-best running back available in this year’s draft and a third or fourth round selection. The draft will begin April 30 and conclude May 2.

“I don’t really care what people have to say about me,” Davis said. “All I’m really worried about is getting drafted and making a team. That’s the main goal.”

No NFL head coaches or general managers were in attendance, unlike last year when pro personnel flocked to Columbia to see Jadeveon Clowney among others, but several former Gamecocks were in attendance.

As former South Carolina players turned pros Marcus Lattimore, Bruce Ellington, Melvin Ingram, Travian Robertson, Tori Gurley, Kelcy Quarles and Vic Hampton watched from the sidelines, the 5-foot-9, 211-pound Davis ran the 40-yard dash twice. He was clocked at 4.38 and 4.46, according to numbers released by the university, quite an improvement from the 4.61 he ran at the NFL Combine.

“I feel like I did good,” he said. “I ran good, tested well, just came out here wanting to run well with my teammates.”

Davis has individual meetings planned soon with several teams, but he declined to name them.

“I don’t want to show anybody’s cards,” he said. “I think all the interviews are important. They want to get you up there and see what kind of person you are before they get you there and invest all the money in you.”

Along with going through running back drills, Davis caught passes from quarterback Dylan Thompson and believes he proved he can play all three downs in the NFL.

“I feel I have great hands. That’s one of the things that can separate someone my size,” he said. “I think I can fit into any system. I don’t just look at one team and think to myself, ‘I would fit great in there.’”

This story was originally published April 1, 2015 at 10:28 PM with the headline "Davis turns heads at USC Pro Day."