As someone who has always been called the "consummate team player" by coaches and teammates, Tim Shaw sometimes finds it strange that a potential future in the National Football League depends on his individual numbers.

"You think it should come down to football, and I think it does," the former Penn State defensive end said. "But numbers are very important. That's just how the process has become."

Today, Shaw and about 14 other senior Penn State football players will try to play numbers to their advantage as they participate in Penn State's annual Pro Day in Holuba Hall. Pro Day, Penn State's mock version of the NFL Scouting Combine, will be one of the final chances to impress NFL scouts with 40-yard dash times and strength tests before the NFL Draft on April 28 and 29. Players will also take part in position-specific drills.

Penn State Assistant Athletic Director Jeff Nelson said Penn State never knows exactly how many scouts or coaches will show up, but he said about 70 scouts, coaches and general managers attended last year's Pro Day.

For players who already have the numbers -- like Penn State's all-time tackles leader Paul Posluszny and running back Tony Hunt, No. 2 on Penn State's all-time rushing list -- the workout can become just a formality in the draft process. But for players like Shaw, these types of workouts can pay huge dividends, Penn State speed coach Jeremy Scott said.

"They're very important for kids like Tim that are the consummate team guys," said Scott, who has been working with Shaw and other former Penn State players this offseason. "They always play where the coaches want them to, so they may not have the statistics that other guys have."

To prepare players for the event, Scott said Penn State has a pre-Pro Day program that emphasizes conditioning. Because Pro Day is a scaled down version of the NFL Scouting Combine, athletes have little rest time between tests and therefore must be in better overall shape to have the best results, Scott said.

Scott said former players like defensive end Jay Alford, safeties Donnie Johnson and Darien Hardy and tight ends Kevin Darling and Patrick Hall will also be looking to make an impression on scouts.

Defensive end Ed Johnson, who was suspended Penn State's bowl game this year, will also participate in the annual Pro Day, Scott said.

Shaw has proved to be one of the more interesting players in his draft after playing three different positions during his Penn State career, coming in as a speedy running back, switching to middle linebacker and leaving as an undersized defensive end.

But with a surplus of Nittany Lion linebackers, Shaw was moved to defensive end last year, where he was routinely matched up against offensive linemen 20 to 60 pounds his superior.

Despite that, he racked up seven sacks and 44 tackles. And more so, he gave up just one first down play directed at him.

Shaw has since moved back to middle linebacker, the position at which he said he feels most comfortable. And after training at linebacker in Orlando, Shaw is back in State College working with Scott to improve his running technique. Scott said Shaw has run the 40-yard dash in the 4.3 range before and is working on his acceleration and starts to improve the time.

"I expect him to run a little bit faster 'cause he's at home, he's in a familiar environment," Scott said. "He's relaxed and he's gonna let it roll."

Shaw said he's confident he'll be drafted -- he said he has a visit with the Atlanta Falcons planned for early April -- and said he's willing to play special teams as a way to break into the NFL.

Shaw said that type of attitude -- the consummate team player archetype -- won't be lost on scouts and NFL coaches, even if they do focus more on individual numbers at times.

"If teams talk to me for a minute, they'll see I want to play," he said. "If a team is interested in me, they're gonna see the character in me and the things I'm going to do."