Last April, the NFL Draft completely passed Penn State by -- in 255 picks, no players were selected, for the first time in 54 years.

One year and an 11-1 season later, there's no chance of that happening. Seven players were invited to the NFL combine, and 12 more joined them for workouts at Penn State's Pro Day -- that will equate to at least one, and likely more than five, players picked for NFL rosters before Mr. Irrelevant.

“A lot of them looked impressive,” an NFC scout said at the March 16 Pro Day. “It's a pretty good group overall.”

The group has its first-day sure shots (Tamba Hali, Alan Zemaitis), and it's not without intrigue -- at what position will Michael Robinson play? There's more defensive talent than offensive -- six of the seven players invited to the combine were on defense.

And, many of the players have a question mark -- size, speed, potential -- attached to them. That's how they began the 2005 season, though, and they ended with Big Ten championship rings.

Nineteen Penn State players are now looking for another shot -- in the pros -- to prove themselves.