Webb, Hansen keep cool at rainy pro day

Less than two years ago, Cal quarterback Davis Webb didn’t have a starting job and wide receiver Chad Hansen didn’t have a scholarship.

And just look at what they have now: an excellent chance to be early-round NFL draft picks.

The Golden Bears’ prolific tandem reconnected Friday for Cal’s rain-drenched pro day. And it was fitting they performed before NFL scouts in inclement weather, given the adversity they navigated during careers that began at Texas Tech (Webb) and Idaho State (Hansen) before ending in Berkeley.

On Friday, Webb, who is projected to be a second- or third-round pick, made the best of a tough situation. He misfired on several downfield passes, and the slick conditions could have played a role. The bright side: He didn’t betray any visible frustration with his badluck circumstances, which earned kudos from evaluators also studying his intangibles.

“I think I handled it well,” Webb said. “Every quarterback coach came up and said I did a great job. It was a little wet out there, and we only had about four or five footballs. So those got pretty heavy by the end of the workout . ... It was a little difficult, but, hey, you’ve got to throw in the rain sometimes.”

At one point, Hansen, who could be targeted around the third round, picked a low sideline throw from Webb off his shoetops and appeared to keep both feet in bounds.

“As a football player, you’re going to have to play in all conditions and, honestly, I was kind of glad it was raining,” Hansen said. “... I think that’s what those scouts want to see — how you perform when things aren’t going your way.”

Things are now going Webb’s way after he lost his starting spot at Texas Tech in 2015 to Patrick Mahomes, who could be a first-round pick. A starter the two seasons before his benching, Webb transferred to Cal and threw for 4,295 yards and 37 touchdowns with 12 interceptions in his lone season.

Webb would be a logical potential target for the 49ers if they pass on a quarterback with the No. 2 overall pick. The 49ers have the second pick of the second round. On Friday, Webb said he has visits or workouts scheduled with at least 12 NFL teams. He added that at least 10 teams had told him he had “first-round talent.”

It wasn’t what he was hearing during some of his long nights in Lubbock in 2015.

“There were some doubts some days,” Webb said. “You’re the guy for two years at Texas Tech and you’re kind of backing up your third year. You’re going to have some rough nights — some times where you’re like, ‘Dang, I feel like I can be the starter here.’

“That happens. Just don’t feel sorry for yourself. There are worse things in the world than not being the starting quarterback at some university. There’s a lot worse things. Just got to keep grinding.”

Hansen knows about grinding. A late bloomer who was 5-foot-3 and 130 pounds as a freshman at Moorpark High (Ventura County), he received one Division I offer, from Idaho State, out of high school. He then transferred to Cal and was a walk-on during his 19-catch debut season in 2015. He earned a scholarship last summer and proved it was deserved by earning first-team All-Pac 12 honors. Hansen (6-2, 205) had 92 catches, 1,249 yards and 12 touchdowns.

Hansen said his big numbers were partly a result of his altered mentality. After being barely recruited, Hansen finally realized at some point during his two seasons at Cal that he has the ability to excel.

Now, Hansen and Webb will have a chance to flourish in the NFL.

“I’d say most of it was mental,” Hansen said. “... I can’t pinpoint a time where it just clicked, but I think the mental part of the game and my mental maturity really helped me in the long run.”