By ROBERT CESSNA
Eagle Staff Writer

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Former Texas A&M tight end Martellus Bennett slumped over panting as Jacksonville assistant head coach Mike Tice put the 260-pound tight end through rapid-fire drills.

"Show me you have some burst!" Tice shouted as Bennett hauled in a 40-yard pass, extending his 6-foot-7 frame.

A few drills later, a smiling Tice was prodding Joey Thomas.

"Come on, Joey, are you fading on me?" Tice asked.

Tice and scouts representing all 32 NFL teams were at Texas A&M on Wednesday for NFL Pro Day, a mini-version of the annual NFL combine held every February in Indianapolis.

"It was very intense," Bennett said. "I figured they were going to get the most out of us in the 15 minutes they had, so I thought they did a great job with that."

Bennett is the highest rated of the 15 players who worked out, projected to go in the first two rounds in next month's NFL draft.

Meanwhile, the 253-pound Thomas likely will be a free agent, which made Wednesday's 150-minute audition so critical, especially those 15 minutes players spent with scouts by position.

"It gives me a chance to spend some one-on-one time with featured young athletes," said Tice, who also is Jacksonville's tight end coach. "It gives me a chance to get beyond the rehearsed answers you get at the combine. Maybe you can get a little deeper inside of 'em and see what type of guys they are, see what kind of work ethic they really have and how personable they are."

Tice put Bennett and Thomas through some of the same drills he runs at Jacksonville.

"When you have an athlete who is as schooled as Martellus, you want to see how he responds when pushed," Tice said.

Thomas was timed at 4.82 seconds in the 40-yard dash and bench pressed 225 pounds 22 times.

"It was what I expected," Thomas said. "They get 15 minutes, and they're going to get as much as possible. I'm pretty sure they're gonna try to push our buttons and try to wear us down a little bit and see how we react to that ... see what our [catching ability] is like along with our skill.

"It was fun, but I'm glad it's over."

Bennett didn't do some of the drills, because he had performed so well at the NFL combine.

"I think I've been having an excellent month," Bennett said. "I think I impressed a couple of people, and it takes only one team."

Players from last year's A&M squad joining Bennett and Thomas were fullback Chris Alexander, defensive tackle Red Bryant, defensive back Marquis Carpenter, offensive tackle Corey Clark, wide receiver Kerry Franks, defensive end Chris Harrington, defensive back Stephen Hodge, defensive tackle, Henry Smith, wide receiver Earvin Taylor, linebacker Misi Tupe and center Cody Wallace.

Also taking part were former defensive back Japhus Brown, who was academically ineligible last season, and former wide receiver Chris Cole, who was a third-round draft choice of the Denver Broncos in 2000.

"Injuries have held me back," said Cole, who is vested in the NFL pension plan after five years. "I didn't have my best day, but it was a good start. I'll continue to work hard throughout the summer, and hopefully, someone will give me a shot."

Cole, who lives in Colorado, said he didn't even tell his agent he was working out Wednesday.

NOTES -- Harrington was limited by a pulled groin, while Taylor was limited after having his knee scoped. ... NFL players in attendance Wednesday included former A&M player Boone Stutz and former Bryan and A&M standout Ty Warren. Former Texas player Casey Hampton also watched as did former All-Pro NFL defensive lineman Jacob Green, former A&M head coach R.C. Slocum and current head coach Mike Sherman and his staff. ... Assistants from former head coach Dennis Franchione's staff in attendance were offensive line coach Jim Bob Heldhuser and wide receivers coach Bob DeBesse. ... Franks was timed at 4.49 in the 40, Hodge at 4.52 and Bryant at 4.83. ... Harrington had the day's best vertical leap at 37 1/2 inches. Franks had 35 and Thomas 32 1/2. ... Thomas spent time in Dallas working with Olympian Michael Johnson to improve his 40-yard time. "The whole process getting ready for this was pretty amazing," Thomas said. "It's hard to not to get star struck some times. It's fun being around this crowd." ... Five Aggies worked out at this year's combine -- Bryant, Bennett, Clark, Harrington and Wallace.

• Robert Cessna's e-mail address is robert.cessna@theeagle.com.

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