convince bigger local schools to let Thielen join their pro days. Over lunch one day, Thielen told his parents he planned to go a regional combine.

"I was a little surprised," Peter Thielen said. "I said, 'What is it?' "

The NFL Combine has become a spectacle, broadcast live as the entire industry converges on Indianapolis. It is a big deal. An NFL regional combine is decidedly not. Eight cities host tryouts for anybody who wants to fork over $250 to do drills in front of NFL scouts. Thielen decided he would attend the one in Chicago. His father cut a check to cover the fee.

A former college teammate, Tommy Langford, had worked with professional trainers when he tried out for pro scouts. From experience he knew Thielen would needoptions in case football didn't work out. He interviewed for a job in dental equipment sales, and when the rep asked him his dream job, he replied, "Playing in the NFL." Both laughed.

"If I'm being real honest with you, I was trying to get him to be my graduate assistant receiver coach," Keen said. "I told him, 'I'm going to save this spot for you.' He would have been a hell of a football coach. I kept saving it, kept saving it. It never did get filled."

Thielen, Langford and another friend drove to the combine in Chicago. When they arrived, Langford and their friend learned only players could enter. They sat in the hotel room and refreshed the combine website over and over, waiting for Thielen's 40 time