MINNEAPOLIS -- In between classes to finish up his degree in finance at Bemidji State University, Gennadiy Adams is investing in his still-flickering NFL dream roughly 100 miles south of the Canadian border.

The running back gained 1,154 yards on just 146 carries for the Beavers, who went 9-3 in the Division II Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference. He's made a few phone calls to agents but said he hasn't heard back from any who might be interested in representing him. He's getting some help from the school's athletic trainer, but there's only one at the school, and since Bemidji State has Division I men's and women's ice hockey teams, Adams knows he can only ask for so much time.

Mostly, he's been working out in the school's recreation center, sprinting on the six-lane indoor track and having a friend videotape his movements in drills for him to analyze later.

"I'll figure out what I'm doing wrong and show it to some of the athletic guys, see what they've got to say," Adams said. "I think it's helping me out."

While college football's top draft prospects were showing their wares in nationally televised drills for scouts in Indianapolis on Saturday, Adams was part of another group embarking on a more remote path to the NFL in Eden Prairie, Minnesota. He was one of nearly 150 players at an NFL regional combine in the Minnesota Vikings' practice facility, hoping to catch the attention of an NFL team willing to take a chance on him.

The regional combines are open to any draft-eligible player who has used up his NCAA eligibility and is willing to part with $160; Saturday's event included a smattering of players from major programs like Louisville, Vanderbilt, BYU and UNLV, but was largely stocked with players from smaller colleges across the Midwest.

Still, the regional combines have been a viable path to a 53-man roster. NFL regional combine admissions director Tyisha Smith, who refers to the players who make it as "my kids," said there were 96 players from the regional combines on NFL rosters at the close of the 2016 season. The Vikings' roster contains one of the program's biggest success stories: wide receiver Adam Thielen, who went to regional combines in Chicago and Dallas in 2013 while trying to get attention from NFL teams. The Minnesota State product turned a rookie camp tryout from the Vikings into a spot on the team's practice squad, and after two years as a special teams player, he led the Vikings in receiving yards in 2016.

"I'm just hoping for the best out of it," Wisconsin-Whitewater tight end Brent Campbell said. "It's not like it's the combine on [NFL Network] or anything, but I just want an opportunity at the next level. I don't want to have any regrets."

Players at Saturday's workout participated in the 40-yard dash, 20-yard shuttle, broad jump and vertical leap before going through position-specific drills. The Kansas City Chiefs, New York Jets and Arizona Cardinals had scouts on the field, and several Vikings personnel watched the session from a perch above the practice field, but players will have their results and workout video uploaded to a database where all 32 teams can view them.

There was a palpable tension during the offensive players' workout on Saturday afternoon, likely owing to the fact that the regional combine might have been the best chance for many in attendance to leave a lasting impression with NFL teams. Campbell said he "slipped on a couple" drills, while Adams, who ran a 4.52-second 40-yard dash, said he expected better out of himself in the 40 and the shuttle.

Should he go through the spring without a call from an NFL team, Campbell said he has an internship lined up in his hometown of Rockford, Illinois, working for Woodward Inc. (a parts and services provider for the aerospace industry). Adams, who spent the first two years of his college career playing for Simon Fraser University in British Columbia, said he'll play in the CFL or for a team in Europe if he can't sign with an NFL team.

He'll eventually pursue a career as a financial adviser, but first, the 5-foot-8 running back is betting on his dream.

"I love the game," Adams said. "It's kind of hard for me to leave it right now."