The saying seems old, almost cliché by now, but with Bryant Johnson, you get the sense that he means it.

He just wants to play next year.

Johnson, the Penn State football team's leading receiver the past two seasons, enters this Saturday's NFL Draft -- where many experts say he will be taken between the mid-first round and the early second round -- without a distinct preference for next year.

"I hope just to play next year. I just want to play," Johnson says quickly when asked about his future employer. "Not many people have this opportunity."

Two seasons ago, it wasn't clear that Johnson would have that opportunity himself. After just 11 catches and a brief stint as a defensive back in his first two seasons as a member of the Nittany Lions, Johnson exploded in 2001 under the tutelage of new Penn State receivers coach Kenny Carter for 51 catches and 866 yards to lead the team in both categories. This past season, Johnson replicated the feat, grabbing 48 passes for 917 yards and four touchdowns.

Now, with his future hanging in the balance over the next six days, Johnson can only sit and wait. While he says he doesn't listen to any type of pre-draft information, or mis-information, as some have criticized the various reports, Johnson can only hope he has given the right weight to the right characteristics.

Certainly prime among his pluses is Johnson's athletic 6-foot-2, 214-pound frame. Coupled with a 36-1/2-inch vertical jump, many draft experts say the Baltimore native will be a solid possession receiver in the NFL.

The Sporting News' pre-draft issue called Johnson the toughest receiver over the middle and likened him to Amani Toomer of the New York Giants, while another source compared him to Tampa Bay's Keyshawn Johnson.

Most commonly, Bryant Johnson grades out very well as a blocker, and his size and strength draw him good marks. Speed, however, is another issue.

Before clocking times of 4.37 and 4.40 seconds in the 40-yard dash at Penn State's pro-day workouts on March 20, Johnson was considered one of the slower receivers in the draft. In fact, The Sporting News -- in an issue published before the workout -- listed Johnson's speed as 4.57 seconds.

His agent, Joel Segal, says the speed question was put to rest that day in Happy Valley. Segal, who lists Antonio Freeman, Todd Pinkston, Jerry Porter and former Penn State wideout Bobby Engram among his NFL clients, said he likes to compare Johnson to Rod Gardner.

"Bryant is a rare combination of strength and speed," Segal said. "Bryant has the same height-speed ratio [as Gardner], and he went 15th."

While few draft publications doubt his talent, they do question the disappearing act Johnson performed in some of the bigger games last season. In losses to Ohio State and Auburn, he caught just one pass for five yards. When asked about Johnson's performance during a preseason press conference, Penn State quarterback Zack Mills said those totals came because of stellar defensive play and the run-oriented Penn State offense than anything the receiver did or didn't do.

When asked about his biggest weakness, Johnson answers quickly and without hesitation.

"Being in the position I am, going to the next level, everything is a weakness because you're competing against guys who've had a chance to work on everything," Johnson said. "So I took time to work on everything."

Both Segal and Carter, his former position coach, mentioned that one of the things that makes Johnson stand out is his work ethic. Carter also talked about his pupil's readiness to learn, which will distance him from the pack.

"He really studies the game and he's learned to conceptualize schemes," Carter said. "When you're moving from one level to the next, that doesn't change. It's the one constant."

While some things may be constant, draft predictions tend not to be. Johnson said he's not sure where he'll end up next year and Segal said he couldn't discuss which teams had shown the most interest. Rather than travel to New York for all the glamour and glitz, Johnson said he will monitor the draft from his home in Baltimore with his family and not root for any specific team.

"I'm going to be pretty neutral," Johnson said. "It's uncertain, so we'll just have to wait and see."

In preparation for the next level, Johnson said he has talked to both Engram and former Penn State receiver O.J. McDuffie about the NFL and what it takes to succeed. It's in that lineage of Lions that Carter says Johnson belongs, providing a role model for next season's receivers.

"The biggest thing is [Bryant] was a constant person," Carter said. "He gave me the reference point you need as a coach."

Soon all the praise, predictions and speculation will end and it will be up to Johnson to make his way in the NFL.

His prediction?

"I think I have a good chance of succeeding on the next level," he said. "I have what it takes to have longevity in my career."

It's an interesting prediction, but there's no doubting he means it.