Local pro day a "surreal" experience for Chatfield star turned Hawaii ironman

Many dreams were realized on Tuesday afternoon when the Denver Broncos welcomed in nine players from the state of Colorado for what they called “Local pro day” and former Chatfield High School standout Ben Clarke was no different.

“Walking in here this morning felt really surreal, I grew up a Broncos fan,” he said.

The realization of the small dream of walking into the Broncos facility, though, pales in comparison to the bigger dream Clarke, who was a four-time honorable mention all-conference player at Hawaii, is chasing.

“It’s a dream of mine to play anywhere in the NFL,” he told media on Tuesday. “I’d be more than happy to be with any team.”

And in your own dreams, you’re allowed to imagine perfection.

“It would just be kind of unbelievable if I got to stay home.”

The 6-foot-3, 305-pounder started every single game of his career at Hawaii, 50-consecuive starts. An incredible feat for any player but arguably more impressive for an offensive lineman, who usually take more time to develop. “Ironman” spent his first two-plus years at center before moving out to left tackle where he even won team MVP as a senior. Despite that, he actually projects as a guard at the next level.

“Naturally, the whole time I’ve been an interior lineman,” he said of the potential transition. “At Hawaii, going into my junior year, we didn’t have many tackles, we had some injuries so I had to bump out. I think I did alright out there but naturally I am an interior lineman so it shouldn’t be that difficult.”

“I was lucky enough to have some good coaches and play in a pro-style offense,” he added. “I’ll know some of the terminologies and know the way the offense is run, that will give me a head start.”

After not having missed a start in four years, Clarke is obviously hoping to continue that streak in the league.

“Everyone wants to believe they’re going to go in and play, I think you need to have that mentality,” he told.

But he also is being realistic about his chances.

“I realize I have a ton to learn and a ton I need to get better at so realistically I’m hoping just to make a roster and learn from some veterans,” he admitted. “It looks like I’ll probably be an undrafted free agent but maybe late rounds, that be a dream. Either way, if I get a shot, it’s what I’ve been training for.”

NFLDraftScout.com ranks Clarke 65th out of 215 available guards, unlikely to get drafted but likely to get a chance and a chance is all you can ask for.