Carolyn Kaster, Associated Press Penn State's Michael Robinson, who led the Nittany Lions back to prominence last season, knows NFL teams aren't looking at him solely as a quarterback, and he's prepared to play anywhere on the field. Click photo for larger image. More Coverage: College QBs who made a switch joining the NFL A team-by-team review of draft day needs Profiles of the top 100 draft prospects Best prospects by position Follow pick-by-pick coverage of the draft with updates on Steelers' draft action all through NFL Draft Weekend right here at post-gazette.com.
	Dave Zapotosky, The Blade
	Penn State QB Robinson gets past Michigan's Prescott Burgess to score a fourth quarter touchdown at Michigan Stadium in Ann, Arbor, Mi., in October of last year.

Days away from starting his new life, it's all old. All the same questions, playing like a sequel. All the imponderables about the position he'll play, and the crossfire of reasoning about why he ought to play running back -- no, no; wide receiver -- wait, Michael Robinson is a quarterback.

Robinson spent a career at Penn State switching from position to position, his on-field elusiveness the lone constant. Before developing into a full-time quarterback as a senior, Robinson had started six times at tailback and five times at wideout. His adaptability -- his greatest strength -- also became his greatest hindrance, preventing him from settling in at a single spot. Robinson's athletic ability guaranteed a shot at the pros, but now, two days away from the NFL draft, the player who did everything doesn't know what he'll be doing next.

"I just want to get on the field," Robinson said recently, speaking by cell phone, "and that's what I told Joe Paterno in 2002."

Because of Robinson's many skills, he always found his way into the lineup. Throughout his Penn State career, he ran for 1,637 yards, caught 52 passes for 629 yards, threw for 3,575 yards and accounted, either by passing, running or throwing, for 46 touchdowns. But despite the highlights, he became -- at least by the analysis of NFL teams -- the human equivalent of a Swiss Army knife, equipped for everything, perfect for nothing. He lacks the shiftiness of college quarterback-turned pro receiver Antwaan Randle El. He lacks the passing accuracy of other mobile quarterbacks. He lacks the experience at any one position to hint at his next step.

Most scouts believe an NFL team will select Robinson between the third and fifth rounds. That's about as far as predictability extends. Most NFL teams have indicated -- either to Robinson or to Penn State quarterbacks coach Jay Paterno -- that they would give Robinson a shot at his favored position. But they have also told him that he's about 1,200 snaps behind the more polished quarterbacks leaving college. Robinson hopes to earn a spot on a roster with his versatility -- he's best-suited for running back, he believes -- and serve, meanwhile, as a third-string quarterback.

"I can handle any position that I may switch to, but I think probably the easiest position that suits my strengths is running back," Robinson said. "I'm a guy that really needs the ball in his hands."

Said Joe Butler of Metro Scouting Index in Pittsburgh: "I project him to be a running back. When you watch him run the football in space, he's got good balance. He's got acceleration. A nice, powerful body. He possibly could be a third quarterback in the NFL, maybe, but he's an athlete."

Robinson has asked talent evaluators where they project him to play in the pros. Some tell him what he wants to hear; others aren't sure. "I feel like their answers are about 40 percent true," he said.

Reality remains tough to pin down. NFL offenses, for instance, thrive on creating match-up advantages, something Robinson promises he can do. But the same offenses also favor specialization: third-down wideouts with sure hands, goal-line running backs with strong legs, fifth- or sixth-string receivers on the roster mostly for kickoff returns. Robinson, like few pro prospects in recent years, inherently begs this question: How does the NFL balance its love of talent against its love of niches?

"It's like 'Moneyball,' " Jay Paterno said, referencing the baseball bible of neo-style talent evaluation.

"If Mike were in baseball, the Oakland A's would take him in the first round -- because they'd realize his talent and figure a way to take advantage of it.

"That's probably the best analogy to make. Somebody will take him and end up looking like a genius in three or four years."

Following the Orange Bowl, Robinson traveled to Orlando, Fla., to work out with strength coach Tom Shaw. He remained there until the late-February scouting combine, all the while wondering what NFL scouting eyes saw.

Did they realize his willingness to do anything? How, earlier at Penn State, he would routinely go through a 20-play scrimmage by running eight snaps at wideout, spending two to catch his breath and taking the last 10 at quarterback?

Did they agree with his progressive thoughts about quarterbacks? "Peyton Manning and Tom Brady, they're great quarterbacks, but they're going to be a dying breed," Robinson said. "Defenses are getting too fast. You can't have quarterbacks who are statues."

What about his concern, sometimes only a faint one, that race might play a role in the analysis of his ability? "You know, people see a guy who can run around and make things happen with his legs, and all of a sudden, he's not a quarterback," Robinson said. "That's just the way people think. I can't be upset. Now, if Brett Favre was like that, those questions wouldn't even have arisen."

When training with Shaw, Robinson worked specifically on skills for running backs -- changing directions in one or two steps, catching the ball out of the backfield. A lot of it felt natural to him. When speaking with NFL teams -- and later, when speaking with the media -- he emphasized his willingness to experiment with any role, either as a third-down back or a kick-returner or a wide receiver. But he also asked for a chance, only a chance, to develop as a quarterback.

"With God's will and grace," he said. "I'd want to play quarterback in a perfect world."

Instead, it's more complicated.

He's entering the NFL's world, and he's trying to become the perfect player, and he's trying, all the while, to figure out what that means.