The most important step in some long-dormant football careers was not a game or even a practice.
The University of Minnesota's football pro day in March gave the state's Division II and Division III stars who didn't get NFL tryouts last spring during the pandemic a chance to show what they could do after more than a year away from college football.
Former St. Thomas receiver Nick Guggemos hadn't played since 2018. Minnesota State Mankato star receiver Shane Zylstra and former St. John's quarterback Jackson Erdmann last suited up in 2019. But they kept training and finally found themselves throwing, catching and running drills in front of NFL scouts.