Auburn football notes: Ben Tate says he feels 'underestimated'

AUBURN, Ala. — Ben Tate still feels underappreciated, and he still isn’t afraid to tell everyone about it.

The running back spent most of Auburn’s pro day Tuesday as a spectator, satisfied with the solid numbers he put up at last month’s NFL scouting combine in Indianapolis.

Tate ran a 4.43-second 40-yard dash and bench-pressed 225 pounds 26 times at the combine, putting him among the leaders for running backs.

“I think a lot of people were surprised, a lot of the scouts and a lot of you guys in the media,” said Tate, the Tigers’ leading rusher the past three years. “But I knew what I could do the whole time. I’ve been telling y’all I was fast, but no one really wanted to listen to me. My coaches knew, and my family knew.

“I think I’ve been underestimated my whole career. It drives me. It keeps me working hard.”

Tate, who weighed in at 220 pounds, did some light positional drill work outside, catching passes out of the backfield from quarterback Chris Todd.

Great shape

Gabe McKenzie was in peak physical form. The seldom-used tight end/defensive end measured in at 6 feet, 2 1/2 inches and a sculpted 256 pounds. He did 22 reps at 225 pounds on the bench press, tied for first on the day. He also ran a 4.74-second time in the 40-yard dash and had a 37-inch vertical leap, the second-best mark.

“You don’t do your best every time, but it’s all good,” he said. “I had been planning every day for it. I was looking forward to it. My numbers weren’t as close as I thought they’d be, so I’ll train more.”

McKenzie missed last spring with undisclosed medical issues and returned by the end of last year as a reserve defensive end.

Olympic effort

Maurice Smith, a former Auburn track star and Jamaican Olympic decathlete, took part in Tuesday’s workouts, despite having no background in organized football beyond intramurals.

“I’ve been wanting to do a pro day since I came to Auburn,” he said. “I came here on a track scholarship and I was interested in playing football. I graduated in ’05, and I’ve been running since.”

The 29-year-old Smith represented Jamaica at two Olympics, in Athens in 2004 and Beijing in 2008 and was a silver medalist in the decathlon at the 2007 world championships in Osaka.

He ran a 4.69 in the 40-yard dash Tuesday and had a vertical jump of 33.5 inches.

Ricks hamstrung

Defensive tackle Jake Ricks pulled his left hamstring on his second effort in the 40-yard dash and sat out the remainder of the day’s drills. He has slimmed down to 290 pounds and has individual workouts with several NFL teams scheduled.

Quick hits

Former Auburn wide receivers Montez Billings and Robert Dunn attended Pro Day. Billings ran a 4.42 40 and finished with the best broad jump of the day at 10 feet, 6.5 inches. … Running back Brad Lester, who graduated in 2008, surprised many by tying McKenzie for best bench press with 22 reps of 225 pounds. Lester also had the best vertical leap at 38 inches.