Duane Bennett, RB

03/06/2012 - Minnesota Pro day: Representatives from the Super Bowl champion New York Giants, the New England Patriots and the Minnesota Vikings were among several NFL scouts in attendance. Vikings general manager Rick Spielman was there and said Pro Day serves as a good opportunity to evaluate local talent. "You try to really hone in on what they are as people and do they fit what you're looking for," Spielman said. "It's their job interview for the day." Participants were assessed in the 40-yard dash, shuttle run, three-cone drill, vertical leap and broad jump. Upon completion of those drills, subjects headed to the weight room to test their strength with the bench press, where running back Duane Bennett turned some heads. The 5-foot-9, 213-pound Bennett completed 28 repetitions of 225 pounds, which would have tied him for the top number of repetitions posted by a running back at the NFL Combine. "I was banking anywhere 25 or greater," he said, "but when I knocked out the first 15, I was kind of like, ???Oh, wow, I'm really going up there.' I kind of caught myself off guard." Bennett said he spent the past two months in Atlanta preparing for Monday's workout, which he called "pretty satisfactory." He caught the attention of Spielman, who intently watched the tailback catch passes and receive handoffs for about 10 minutes. "I felt like [the training] paid off today. I put up some good numbers," Bennett said. "I'm feeling pretty confident." - Sam Gordon, Minnesota Daily

Full Duane Bennett News Wire