Being an underdog is nothing new to Carson Wells. From the high school ranks, through his collegiate career at Colorado and now, as he prepares to wait for the NFL Draft, he's been overlooked as a football player.

Coming out of Bushnell (South Sumter) High School in Florida, Wells was ranked as a two-star recruit before signing with the Buffs' 2017 class.

His first year at CU that fall, in which he wound up taking a redshirt, was dominated by a leg injury that kept him from practicing full-time.

After developing into a dependable starter at outside backer for the Buffs in 2018 and 2019, Wells burst onto the scene in 2020, putting together a dominant six-game season.

Wells' average of 2.7 tackles per loss per game led the nation and he also posted 1.08 sacks per game in the COVID-condensed season, which ranked third in the Pac-12 and sixth nationally.

When all was said and done, he'd recorded 34 tackles, 14 of which were for loss and 4.5 sacks.

Then, as a senior this past season, Wells picked up right where he left off, posting 62 tackles (15 for loss) with 5.5 sacks.

However, Wells received little love outside of Boulder. Solid back-to-back seasons in 2020 and 2021 were met with only honorable mentions from the league's coaches for their postseason awards.

Wells, who tweeted a single word, "Disrespectful," upon being snubbed on the Pac-12's postseason awards late in 2020, has not forgotten the many times he's been overlooked in his football career.

“When you get to the tough times, whether it was here during workouts or pushing yourself for the Combine training, you remember every single little thing, every article — I had on my Twitter header for four or five years (a tweet) saying that I shouldn’t even be on the team after spring. I remember all of those — every single one," Wells said.

The "disrespect" for Wells continued after he put a bow on his Colorado career, as he was not invited to the annual NFL Draft Combine in early March.

However, Wells did partake in the East-West Shrine Game at the start of February, where he was able to perform against fellow seniors from across the country in addition to in front of numerous NFL scouts.

That served as a backdrop to Wednesday, when Wells participated in CU's Pro Day, along with ILB Nate Landman, DE Mustafa Johnson, OG Kary Kutsch, TE Matt Lynch and LB Akil Jones.

When all was said and done, Wells had been clocked for a 4.56 40-yard dash to go along with a 35-inch vertical jump and 16 reps (225 pounds) on the bench.

“That was my goal coming in — high 4.5s," he said. "At the end of the day, the 40’s the moneymaker and I feel like I came out here and killed that. I feel like overall, I had a good day.”

While he won't be among the most high-profile defensive players under NFL Draft consideration, Wells feels like he's demonstrated his potential value nonetheless.

“I feel good" he said. "I feel like I’m a versatile linebacker. I can play anywhere. I can put my hand down, come in and contribute on special teams right away, and I feel like that’s just one of my strengths because I’m versatile and you can plug and play me anywhere. I’m smart enough and athletic enough to fit.”

After the Buffaloes wrapped their 2021 season with a loss at Utah in late November, Wells wasted little time getting started with his Draft preparation, heading back home to Florida to begin training.

With CU's Pro Day now in the rearview mirror, Wells, who graduated from Colorado last year with degrees in accounting and finance, is ready to see where his football career takes him next.

“I just let what happens on the field speak for me," Wells said. "I feel like I have my resume and I feel like I’ve put in the work for the past five years — for a majority of people, they’ve seen that. Like I said, whatever happens happens.”