4.41 40 at the NFL Regional Combine Invitational in Tampa, Fla.

[247sports.com]

Austin Proehl's Comeback Fueling NFL Hopes
ByJARRETT CORDER Apr 3, 8:19 PM

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. --- When North Carolina wide receiver Austin Proehl suffered a broken left clavicle against Duke last season, most expected his season to be over. But Proehl fought back, returned for Senior Day, and played in the final two games.

Since then, the 5-foot-10 wide receiver has spent a few months in Southern California preparing for the NFL Draft and says teams have taken note of his unlikely comeback.

"Talking to scouts and GM's, it was big," Proehl said at UNC's Pro Day on Tuesday. "It showed a lot of teams toughness, and it showed a lot of teams what this game means to me. It showed what this team, this university means to me coming back and wanting to be a part of it and not give up on the guys who didn't give up on our season."

In one sense, it was a major win for Proehl to show he was able to play with confidence and at full strength after his injury, but the Charlotte, N.C. native says that was only part of the story.

"For me, my confidence was there because from the minute I got out of surgery, I wanted to make a comeback," Proehl said. "I wanted to play ball. That's what I came here to do."

The comeback was just a stepping stone for Proehl. Playing in his last game for Carolina and competing at Tuesday's Pro Day may be a momentary sigh of relief regarding his injury, but the Tar Heels' wide receiver is focused on the bigger picture.

"When that phone call comes, everybody says this is a sigh of relief, but it's not," Proehl said. "It doesn't stop now. I've got private workouts and I've got to fly out places for physicals. It's one of those things where you still have to go meet with teams and still have got to work out."

Austin Proehl caught 91 passes for 1265 yards and five touchdowns in his UNC career. (Photo: Jim Hawkins/Inside Carolina)
Proehl didn't run the 40-yard dash on Tuesday in Chapel Hill, leaning on the 4.41 40 he ran last week at the NFL Regional Combine Invitational in Tampa, Fla. All 32 NFL teams were in attendance and Proehl knows his performance there turned some heads in NFL front offices.

Proehl was UNC's top receiver to start last season and will showcase a variety of skills at his workouts with NFL teams. In six games for Carolina last season, Proehl caught 21 balls for 337 yards and one touchdown. He had the second most yards on the team and set career highs in catches per game, yards per catch and yards per game.

Proehl also showcased ability as a capable returner and special teams player, returning five punts for 49 yards with his longest return being 17 yards, a role that he sees developing in his NFL career.

"That's exactly what I see myself in the NFL as, and that's what these teams are seeing me as - being a punt returner and special teams guy and playing receiver and making plays in and outside, whatever they want me to do," Proehl said.

Regardless of where he lands, Proehl has a message for the NFL team that takes a chance on him -- and the ones that don't: "It's one of those things where somebody is going to get me early, and the rest of the teams probably are going to wish they got me."

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