The Daryll Clark-Michael Robinson comparisons have been endless.
The latter led Penn State to a Big Ten championship in 2005 and has found a home in the NFL with the San Francisco 49ers as a running back with return duties.
Likewise, Clark led the Nittany Lions to a conference title, but at this point he thinks his future is still as a quarterback. He joined other former Penn State players Wednesday at Penn State's Pro Day, working out before NFL scouts in preparation for the 2010 NFL Draft, which starts April 22.
"If I have to, and there's no other way, then yeah," Clark said of a possible position switch. "But no one has talked to me about a position change since I left Penn State."
Clark, who didn't run in the combine in Indianapolis a few weeks ago because of a hamstring issue, said he ran a 4.61 in the
40-yard dash on Wednesday and threw well. He also said Robinson has told him to keep morale up, and he acknowledged that Wednesday was a make-or-break test for him.
And though both quarterbacks showcased their talents in both running and throwing, there was one difference in how scouts saw them.
"When he was coming out, a lot of teams worked him out not only at quarterback but at wide receiver and running back," Clark said. "No team has talked to me about a position change yet. I'm just going to continue to work on what I've been playing my whole life."
Anthony Morelli, Clark's predecessor at Penn State, also worked out on Wednesday. Morelli has been living in Indianapolis and already has had his own personal workout with scouts during the NFL Scouting Combine with teams including the New Orleans Saints and Indianapolis Colts, this year's Super Bowl participants.
Morelli, 24, said there is no quit in him, and he'll keep going until all options have been exhausted.
"I've matured a lot," Morelli said. "I'm a different guy now, I have more confidence. I've been through an NFL camp, I know what to expect. It's just different than the guys coming out because they kind of don't know what to expect, and I was in that position. It was tough."
Navorro Bowman, Sean Lee, Andrew Quarless and Jared Odrick -- the player most often projected to be a first-round pick -- also worked out Wednesday.
Bowman, who has Drew Rosenhaus as his agent, said he brought his 40-yard dash time down to 4.61 and has set up visits with the Pittsburgh Steelers and Dallas Cowboys. It seems the main questions scouts have with him have been regarding his past off-field issues.
"We all as men have to mature and learn from the mistakes you make," Bowman said. "I work a lot harder and focus a lot more."
As for fellow linebacker Lee, scouts are most concerned about his past injuries. But the linebacker said he feels 100 percent and has personal workouts with teams scheduled.
Quarless said when it came to interviews, many have focused on his past alcohol problems, including a DUI charge in March 2008. But the tight end said he spoke from the heart and hasn't had a drink in two years.
The next step for Quarless and the other 20-plus players is playing the waiting game, looking for personal workouts and visits with teams. Until then, players like Quarless are just relieved the rough part is done.
"If you only knew. If you only knew," Quarless said while tapping his heart.
