Zandi didn’t get invited to NFL Combine, but working toward Pro Day

After years of preparing himself to play football, Mason Zandi has spent the last five weeks preparing himself for a single event. It’s just not the event he was hoping it would be.

Zandi, a Chapin native and former South Carolina offensive lineman, will work out for NFL scouts at the Gamecocks Pro Day at Williams-Brice Stadium on March 14. He had hoped he would get that chance at the NFL Combine in Indianapolis beginning on Tuesday but did not receive an invitation.

“Certainly as a player you want to go to the NFL Combine. It’s something you watch on TV. I’ve had many teammates go. It’s an experience I wanted to have,” Zandi said. “But the reality of it is 35 percent of the guys who went to the combine last year didn’t get drafted.”

Three-hundred-and-thirty players were invited to the NFL Combine this year, including 66 from the SEC, but for the first time in recent memory not a single USC product received an invitation.

“I wish all of them would have gone, but it is what it is,” Zandi said. “It’s not necessarily a huge knock on my professional career, but it is something I wanted to do and experience. If anything, it puts a bigger chip on my shoulder.”

Zandi is preparing for the NFL Draft at The Sport and Speed Institute in Chantilly, Va., with trainer Justin Kavanaugh.

“You’re training for Pro Day. You’re not training for a season totally. You are still focused on what you’re doing and the future, but you’re training for an event,” Zandi said. “You’re training for the 40, vertical jump, bench, everything. I think all around since I’ve gotten here I’ve gotten better, from understanding the game better to physically being better. This place has done me very right, and I’ve got a lot of tremendous gains from it.”

Zandi, 6-foot-9, 315 pounds, started every game at left tackle for the Gamecocks in 2016. He started 24 games overall at South Carolina. He is considered the 45th-best offensive tackle in this year’s draft class by CBSSports.com.

“I’m a big guy. I’m a mobile guy,” Zandi said. “I’ve never been in trouble. I love the game. A lot of people want to focus on the money that you make. I love the game. I enjoy the process. If I end up somewhere, I’ll be a good reflection on the organization.”