Now the only thing Penn State's All-America linebacker, winner of the 2007 Bednarik Award as college football's top defensive player, can do is hope some NFL team will reward his cooperative attitude and exemplary performance on the field.

The NFL draft begins Saturday afternoon and most projections have Connor going anywhere from the late first round to mid-second round.

"It started with the Senior Bowl and a chance to play against the best players in the country," Connor said of the most prestigious of the postseason all-star games in which he led both teams in tackles, with nine, intercepted a pass thrown by Hawaii's Heisman Trophy finalist, Colt Brennan, and was named Most Valuable Player of the North squad. "That was something I looked forward to. In this process, you never want to hold anything back. You want to show what you can do."

Connor (6-3, 235 pounds) attended the NFL combine in Indianapolis despite being ill, and he impressed scouts at Penn State's Pro Day with a 4.67-second time in the 40-yard dash, a 4.2 in pro agility, a 6.78 in the three-cone drill, a standing broad jump of 9-7, a vertical leap of 35 inches and 21 bench-press repetitions of 225 pounds.

For the past several weeks he has been in Davie, Fla., subjecting his body to the rigorous demands of a training staff whose sole purpose is to make elite athletes even better as they ready themselves for the next stage of their football lives.

And if all that weren't enough, well, consider what the Strath Haven High product did during his record-shattering career at Penn State. As a senior, he led the Big Ten Conference with 145 tackles, giving him 419 during his four seasons with the Nittany Lions. That erased the previous high of 372 tackles set the year before by former teammate Paul Posluszny, now a linebacker with the Buffalo Bills. He also registered 15 tackles for losses, including 6 1/2 sacks, as well as an interception, two forced fumbles and seven passes defensed.

"Connor obviously is a very good football player," said an NFC personnel director who asked not to be identified. "He can play all three linebacker positions and play them well. He's a super-productive guy who did well at the Senior Bowl and at his Pro Day. Really, there aren't a lot of negatives you can point at and say, 'This might be a problem area.' "

Yet, in many of the mock drafts that are appearing in various media outlets, it appears Connor's stock has been lowered to a point where he might fall out of the first round.

"I think it's the same thing as with Posluszny," said the NFC personnel director, noting that Connor's predecessor as the Bednarik winner was taken 34th overall in the 2007 draft, by the Bills. "They're very similar players. Both were projected in the late first round, early second round. Posluszny happened to go in the second round, but, personally, I think Connor won't last that long. I see him going somewhere toward the end of the first round."

Connor's agent, the controversial Drew Rosenhaus, also believes that Connor - only his second Penn State client; wide receiver Eddie Drummond was the first, in 2002 - will be snapped up before the first round concludes.

"We don't pay attention to mock drafts," Rosenhaus said. "Dan is a great football player. I expect him to be a first-round draft choice, and the team that drafts him is going to get not only a heck of a player, but an outstanding person.

"That's all that matters. We don't get caught up in trying to project which player is going where. It's impossible to do that. We just know there are any number of teams that are very interested in Dan. He played in the Senior Bowl, went to the combine, put up really good numbers at Penn State's Pro Day. If there's anything more that could be asked of him, I don't know what it is. I think he's answered every question."

For his part, Connor - who grew up an Eagles fan - said he has learned not to pay too much attention to speculation. Sure, because of the slotting system he'd be guaranteed more money if he went higher in the draft. But where someone is picked is no guarantee of long-term NFL success.

"Your first contract is obviously important, but if you're in the league and you show that you can play, the one after that is the one that really means something," Connor said. "Hopefully, I will have established myself as an NFL player by that time. What it all comes down to is getting out on the field and proving that you can play."

Once, Connor was as much into the what-ifs as anyone else. As an underclassman in Happy Valley, he would read the projections of where his teammates would go.

Now, he said, he realizes this is a game of a different sort, where the information the public receives can be mostly true, mostly false, or some nebulous hybrid, depending on who is leaking what to whom.

"You're kind of in limbo," Connor said. "You really don't know how everything is going to play itself out. You're visiting with this team, that team. It's hard to differentiate between who's giving you the straight scoop and who's blowing smoke. There are a lot of mind games being played."

So Connor plays right along. One day, he's visiting with the Miami Dolphins; another, he's the guest of the New Orleans Saints or the Atlanta Falcons. If you're high enough on teams' draft boards, it's best to have a packed suitcase and an open mind.

"They fly you in, show you their facilities, talk some football, all that good stuff," Connor said.

Posluszny, who sat out the remainder of his rookie season after he suffered a broken forearm in the third game, has served as Connor's guide through a process that can be a little unnerving.

"Paul told me that it's all a little crazy," Connor said. "He said, 'Keep working out, do your thing and don't get caught up in what everybody else is saying in the newspapers and on the Internet. All that is going to do is mess with your mind.'

"And he's right. It's out of my control anyway. I'm going to get drafted by somebody. After that, it's up to me to prove I can get the job done." *