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thing I've done there has prepared me for this moment." KEVIN GIVENS Perhaps the most sur- prising of Penn State's early draft en- trants, Givens is looking to earn a spot in the NFL as a three-technique defensive tackle. But the 6-foot-1, 285-pound draft hopeful would be happy to play anywhere his future employer decides to station him. Speaking to reporters before his work- out, Givens described himself as "a hard worker and someone who is going to put their all into it." He added, "I feel very prepared strengthwise, speedwise and just overall." Givens showcased his athleticism with a 31-inch vertical leap, and he also did 32 reps at 225 pounds in the bench press and turned in a 5.08-second 40-yard time. CONNOR McGOVERN Hailed as one of the top guard prospects in the draft, and rated the fifth-best overall lineman by NFL.com, the 6-5, 308-pound McGov- ern performed 28 repetitions in the bench press, tying for ninth among of- fensive linemen. He also finished with times of 7.66 seconds in the three-cone drill and 4.57 seconds in the 20-yard shuttle run. McGovern has a chance to be the first Nittany Lion player taken in this year's draft, although cornerback Amani Oruwariye is also considered a potential high-round pick. TRACE McSORLEY Penn State's career passing leader, McSorley made head- lines at the combine when he declined to work out as a defensive back. Such re- quests aren't unusual; at this year's combine, 41 players were asked to work out at a second position. But even though McSorley has now been a start- ing quarterback for seven seasons – four in high school and three at Penn State – he has been dogged by skeptics who be- lieve he would be better off at safety or wide receiver. New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton said McSorley reminded him of Super Bowl MVP Julian Edelman, who played quarterback at Kent State before finding success with the New England Patriots as a pass-catcher. But the 6-0, 202-pound McSorley said he's determined to play quarterback in the NFL, and he helped himself by turn- ing in the fastest 40-yard time of any QB in the combine (4.57). He said he's taken inspiration from the success of other quarterbacks who don't fit the tradi- tional idea of what a pro passer is sup- posed to look like. "You look at all of them, they've got a chip on their shoulder, they've all been told at some point that they couldn't do it because of their height and they just defied that," McSorley said. "They haven't let someone else's opinion affect who they are. Guys like Drew Brees and Russell Wilson, they have those intangi- bles." SHAREEF MILLER Like Givens, Miller is an early entrant, having forgone his final season of eligibility at Penn State. He said prior to his workout that he was thrilled just to have a chance to impress NFL scouts. "I see guys upset and moping around," he said. "I'm just happy to be here. It could be worse. That's what I always say. It could be worse. I could be back in Philly, but I'm in the NFL Scouting Combine. So you've got to put that in perspective." Miller faced a bit of a setback when he posted 16 reps in the bench press, the lowest among 18 NFL-described edge rushers who participated in the event, but he encouraged scouts to look at the full range of his attributes, including his speed (4.69) and his ability to change di- rection. He also spotlighted the sense of determination that his mother, Tekeya Cook, instilled in him. "My mom was real important because she didn't play no games. She was very hard on me, and I just wanted to be dif- ferent. I had a different mindset," Miller said. "I knew that football was going to take me a lot of places, so I wasn't going to let nobody get in the way of that op- portunity. You don't get a lot of chances where I'm from, so when you get that chance you've got to run with it, and that's what I did. I ran with it and I ain't looking back." AMANI ORUWARIYE The 6-1, 205- pound cornerback got off to a good start by performing 17 reps in the bench press, and he followed that by clocking a 4.47- second 40 time, 12th-best among all cornerbacks at the combine. Oruwariye intercepted seven passes during his junior and senior seasons at Penn State and attributed his success to a diligent approach to film study. "Knowing what the offense is going to run and where the receiver is going to be before they actually run it puts you around the ball," he said. "I think it's just a knack for the ball. I've always de- scribed myself on the field as just a play- maker – someone who's around the ball, someone who's going to take the ball away, whether that's forced fumbles, whether that's interceptions, whatever that entails. I just like getting takeaways, so that's what I do." MILES SANDERS Sanders, who rushed for 1,274 yards in his lone season as Penn State's starting tailback, told reporters prior to the combine that he enjoys being doubted. "I love being the underdog," he said. "I love people not thinking I can do what- ever I think I can do. That makes me work even harder. I'm not OK with being comfortable." The 5-11, 211-pound Sanders may have erased some doubts with his perform- ance in Indy. He turned in a 4.45-second 40-yard dash, performed 20 bench press reps and had a 36-inch vertical leap, prompting NFL Network analyst Daniel Jeremiah to label him "best in show today for my money at the running back position." Sanders said he talked with the New York Giants and Philadelphia Eagles. The Giants told him they would be in- terested in him as a potential two-back option alongside his former Penn State teammate, Saquon Barkley, while the Eagles wanted to know if he saw himself as an every-down type of back. Not sur- prisingly, he said that's exactly how he sees himself. "They asked me if I'm an every-down back or a rotation type of back, and I think I'm an every-down back who can get the job done," he said. ■

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