Ohio State’s Weber eager to show NFL what he can do on, off field

“Right now I’ve been getting a little slept on,” he said Thursday. “That’s something I can’t control. All I can control is coming out here and doing my best, showing these teams I should be at the top.”

>>RELATED: Combine offers opportunity for Buckeyes to prove themselves in various ways

Weber ran 455 times for 2,676 yards and 24 touchdowns at Ohio State. He finished his career 14th in school history in career rushing yards and also caught 48 passes for 420 yards and three more scores.

“I feel like it went well,” he said of his college career. “I still didn’t feel like I played my best. Through injuries, through adversity, through not getting the ball sometimes, through different situations, everything plays a part. I feel like I have a lot of room to improve.”

After being named 2016 Big Ten Freshman of the Year, he shared the backfield with J.K. Dobbins the last two seasons.

That was an arrangement he admitted not liking at the time, but one he also conceded is turning into a positive as the draft process ramps up.

“Right now I think it was a plus,” Weber said. “At the time you don’t like it. At the time you want to be able to show the world what you can do with the opportunities you get. I feel like now a lot of these teams are looking at guys like they have a lot of tread on the tire.”

NFL.com projects the 5-foot-10, 211-pound Weber a a potential backup or special teams player in the league.

He of course has higher aspirations and sees this week as one in which he can make himself some money if he impresses the right people.

>>RELATED: How OSU prospects are viewed, what they can do about it in Indy

Backs around his size who were productive in college are not hard to find, but strong workout numbers could send scouts back to the film room to look a little harder at what Weber was able to do for the Scarlet and Gray.

He also believes he has already impressed teams in the meeting room, giving credit to OSU running backs coach Tony Alford for the assist.

“All these teams I’ve met with as far as learning their offense, knowing my assignments and who to block and what the line’s doing, (Alfrod) did a great job of teaching me because a lot of teams were impressed with how I handled that.”

Weber at first hesitated to give an exact time he hopes to run in the 40-yard dash but ultimately conceded, “I think the low 4.4s is a great time for me.”

He also didn’t want to speculate on what round he might be chosen if the draft were tomorrow.

“You never know. I have no idea. I come out here to control what I can control, sell myself to these teams,” Weber said. “Show my film, show my pass blocking, my running, my smartness of the game. Even my intangibles off the field, being a good guy and level-headed and making good decisions. All this stuff plays a part.”

The combine continues here through the weekend.

Offensive linemen, including Ohio State’s Isaiah Prince and Michael Jordan, also met with the media Thursday with workouts scheduled for Friday.

Ohio State quarterback Dwayne Haskins and receivers Johnnie Dixon, Parris Campbell and Terry McLaurin are scheduled to meet with reporters Friday with defensive linemen Nick Bosa and Dre’Mont Jones going on Saturday and cornerback Kendall Sheffield finishing up Sunday.