Michael Robinson said State College has been like a second home to him these past four years -- and, with any luck, he'll find another one tomorrow during the annual NFL Draft.
With seven rounds and 255 picks, Penn State's wild card is sure to be taken somewhere. And so are at least five of his teammates: defensive ends Tamba Hali and Matthew Rice, safety Calvin Lowry and cornerbacks Alan Zemaitis and Anwar Phillips.
But where and at what position Robinson is taken remains anybody's guess -- even Robinson's.
"One team asked me to play center ... nah, I'm just kidding, I think that's one of the only positions I can't play," Robinson said with a laugh. "I'm a football player. If teams want to play me at tailback, I can do that. Teams have expressed some safety, and I would gladly do that, but I haven't played defense since high school."
There's no real consensus on what position Robinson would play in the NFL, but most mock drafts have the signal caller pinned as a wideout or tailback.
"Kind of funny that people project him as a receiver. He's definitely not a receiver," said Dan Shonka, a former NFL scout with 16 years experience. "He did not look well in practices at the Senior Bowl as a receiver."
Regardless, Robinson has recently spoken with former Penn State and Pittsburgh wideout Kenny Jackson about getting his foot in the door. Before talking with Jackson, last season's Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year said he would've been disappointed not going on the first day.
Now, Robinson said he doesn't mind, as long as he gets an opportunity.
"I just don't think there's that many players better than me," Robinson said. "But I just want a shot, and, if you're drafted, then you're going to get a shot."
Another knock on Robinson is his lack of experience at quarterback. Shonka also said Robinson's accuracy and throwing motion are a concern.
Robinson only started at quarterback one year for Penn State, tossing 17 touchdowns and 10 interceptions, while mostly making a name for himself as a "playmaker" by running the ball.
But, last week at the Blue-White game, quarterbacks coach Jay Paterno said inexperience was a lousy excuse for not choosing Robinson. Paterno reasoned that scouts or general managers might not pick Robinson early because it's just easier to hold off and "hedge their bets."
"If somebody doesn't draft him, they can kiss -- well, I don't want to say because I got in trouble saying it in the tunnel last fall ... but some teams have called me that really like him as a quarterback," Paterno said. "The guys that did their homework watched him from the beginning of the year and saw the progress he made and are excited about what he can do as a quarterback.
"When I see some of the quarterbacks listed ahead of him, I shake my head because what has a guy got to prove to somebody?"
In all likelihood, Robinson won't be the first Nittany Lion drafted, although his versatility certainly separates him from other Penn State prospects. Still, the honor of being the first Penn State player picked will probably fall upon Hali.
Most mock drafts had Hali taken within the top 25 picks, but Hali's stock has recently dropped. Charles Robinson, a Yahoo! Draft expert, ESPN.com and Shonka all project the defensive end to go at some point in the second.
"The draft is a funny and unpredictable animal, and things happen that affect players," Hali's agent, James Ivler said. "That being said, we're confident as ever. We feel Tamba will be a first-rounder.
Hali's pro day likely hurt him, as he ran sub-par 40 times that NFL.com released as being 4.86 and 4.88. Those 40 times have also hurt fellow defensive seniors Zemaitis and Phillips, who Shonka labeled as cover-2 cornerbacks because of their slow times.
"Just because you run a 4.3 40 doesn't mean you're a better corner and doesn't mean you're going to learn the defense better," Zemaitis' agent, Mitch Frankel, said. "There's a lot that goes into being a very successful player, and a lot of the time that's overshadowed. That's why you see third, fourth round picks become stars in the NFL.
Frankel also made an allusion to Baltimore Ravens' All-Pro cornerback Chris McAllister, who isn't the fastest but still has a knack for being around the ball.
According to Frankel, Zemaitis has recently visited Indianapolis, Baltimore and Tampa Bay. He also said that people have to understand the reality of the draft.
"Once you get past the first 10 picks, anything can happen. And I think Alan understands that," Frankel said. "We've been honest with him about the situation, meaning that, is he a first-day talent? Sure he is. So would we all be disappointed [if he didn't go the first day]? Absolutely. But we can't say that won't happen because we've seen that happen to a lot of different players."
