Roger Allen joined an elite group just by receiving an invitation to the NFL's 2009 Combine and then stood alone when the Missouri Western guard didn't participate in drills last weekend.

Allen was one of seven Division II players invited to Indianapolis and the only one who didn't perform for the NFL's coaches, general managers and scouts. The 6-foot-3 senior suffered a sports hernia in the Texas vs. the Nation all-star game Feb. 2, forcing Allen to undergo surgery Feb. 11 and sidelining him for six to eight weeks.

"It was only disappointed in the fact that I was really looking forward to participating in the combine and have all of my friends and family see me on the NFL Network," Allen said Monday. "But besides that, I'm not really worried about it. I try not to worry about things I can't control."

Allen hopes to be ready for Missouri's pro day in Columbia on March 19 and Missouri Western's on April 2. In the meantime, Allen still made the trip to Indianapolis and interviewed with just about every NFL team. The Carolina Panthers and Dallas Cowboys went a step further, inviting Allen to their suites for in-depth interviews with each team's head coach, offensive-line coach, GM and scouts.

"(Carolina) coach Jeff Fox is a really nice guy. He is extremely personable and easygoing," Allen said. "(The Cowboys) seem real professional and very easygoing. From what I got to know, they are all nice guys. I would like to play for any of them."

Allen said his agents are hearing from teams that he could go anywhere between the fourth and sixth rounds of April's draft. Allen, though, is taking a worst-case approach to the situation, expecting to be signed as a free agent after the draft. But Allen likely will determine his status at one of those pro days.

Allen, who at 326 pounds is one of the heavier O-linemen invited to the combine, ran a 5.3 40-yard dash last season and thinks he could've run it around 5.2 before the injury. Allen is aiming for a 5.1 next month, though a 5.2 still would've put him in the top 10 among O-linemen at the combine.

The Raytown, Mo., native feels especially confident about the 225-pound bench press. Allen believes he can do 33 reps with a goal of 35. Thirty-three would've tied him for fourth at the combine.

"That was the hardest thing to deal with is watching everybody go and know I could hang with every single one of them, especially in the bench press," said Allen, who thinks he rates in the upper-half of guard prospects in each of the six combine drills. "I knew I could be in the top five. That was a hard pill to swallow. I just had to bide my time.

"I will try to get to 100 percent and blow every one away at the two pro days."

Sports reporter R.J. Cooper can be

reached at rjcooper@npgco.com