For Penn State football fans, Bryan Scott and Anthony Adams have become as comfortable and familiar as an old sweater.

The pair have been central figures in the fortunes of the Nittany Lions for the better part of the last three seasons. Through the good times and the bad, from a tough afternoon against Toledo to a magical night against Nebraska, numbers 32 and 99 have always been there.

But next August when the Temple Owls invade Beaver Stadium to open up the 2003 season, Scott, a defensive back, and Adams, a defensive tackle, won't be among the Blue and White clad that follow Joe Paterno out of the tunnel.

By that time, both Scott and Adams will hope to be wrapping their first training camp in the NFL and looking forward to their rookie seasons.

And the way the draft build up is going, that situation looks like a pretty good bet.

Based on pre-draft speculation, both are almost guaranteed to be drafted, with Adams likely going on the first day, maybe as high as round two. Scott's fortunes are not as clear. Seeing him picked on either Saturday or Sunday would not be a surprise.

Adams, a three-year starter at Penn State, displayed steady improvement during his time in Happy Valley. By the time he was a senior last year, Adams and Jimmy Kennedy teamed up to form arguably the most formidable defensive tackle combination in America.

Adams' improvement continued after his Penn State career ended. At the Senior Bowl in February, a game of utmost importance for a potential draftee, Adams delivered. He recorded five tackles, including two behind the line, made one of the game's only sacks and batted down a pass.

According to Pro Football Weekly, that performance may very well have vaulted Adams into the first two rounds of the draft.

At the NFL combine, Adams tested at 5-feet-11, 299 pounds and ran the 40 in about 5.1 seconds. The last two numbers are fine for a high pick at defensive tackle, but for many Adams' height is an issue. His coach disagrees.

"Anthony has turned is shortcomings in his height into a positive by having so much strength and leverage," Larry Johnson Sr., Penn State defensive line coach said. "Every NFL coach loves the way he hustles to the ball and defends the run."

Scott's prospects for next weekend are unclear. In the eyes of NFL scouts, the Warrington native has a long list of pros as well as cons.

Pro scouts love Scott's size (6-feet-1, 219 pounds) and striking ability, but his flexibility and coverage skills have come under question.

Scott moved between corner and safety during his Lion career, but spent the majority of his career at corner. He saw some good receivers in his time, David Terell, Charles Rogers, anyone from Miami, but under the game in, game out rigors of pro football, there is concern how Scott will hold up in coverage.

If anything is going to fail Scott at the next level it will be his physical tools, not his mental game. Scott has played in a number of big games where the pressure was high. He also has been praised by draft services to be a strong reader of his keys in complex coverage schemes. In all likelihood, Scott will have to make it as a special-teamer to stick with an NFL team as a rookie.