MOBILE, Ala. -- The most intriguing prospect at the Senior Bowl is someone college football or NFL fans probably have never seen play. At least at football, that is.
Before he played cornerback, Quinten Rollins spent the majority of his time at Miami (Ohio) on the hard court as a point guard for the Redhawks' basketball team. He finished second on the school's all-time steals list and appeared on television far more for his crossover and ability to dunk than he did for his prowess on the gridiron with a 2-10 MAC squad last year.
NFL scouts have taken notice of what he can do between the lines on the grass field though. In addition to earning an invite to this week's Senior Bowl, the buzz has continued to build around Rollins, and some insiders think he could be a Day 1 pick in the 2015 NFL Draft. That he's having a solid week of practice certainly isn't hurting that outlook.
"Getting out to compete with the best players in the country, it's been great," Rollins said Wednesday. "It's definitely surreal. This doesn't happen everyday. Getting a chance to play college basketball and college football, having a great season, getting a chance to go to the NFL, it's all a blessing."
Rollins (5-foot-11, 193 pounds) still appears a bit raw at times, but he's flashed some of the underlying traits of a top-flight corner, a big reason why there's not much separation between him and others on draftboards around the league. He proved critics wrong by effortlessly transitioning from an all-league basketball player to the MAC's defensive player of the year in 2014 with seven interceptions, but there's still a sense that Rollins is trying to shed the label of an athlete trying his hand at the NFL.
While some might try to deflect talk of his prowess on the basketball court, Rollins is trying to use that experience as an asset this week as he battles wideouts such as Baylor's Antwan Goodley and Duke's Jamison Crowder.
"I get asked about it every interview. I've dealt with it," Rollins said of the hoops talk with NFL scouts. "If you go back and watch how I was as a basketball player, I was a hard worker trying to compete. (Football) has its differences, but I try to go in there and be scrappy. With my basketball background people think I'm soft, but I feel like I've answered those questions. Plus, in basketball, you can't have slow instincts, and as a point guard you have to be thinking a play ahead, and I try to take that out on the football field."
Rollins noted how the speed of the game has slowed down for him considerably; he doesn't have to think as much and can react more. That's key for a position that allows only a split-second to shift gears and cover a streaking receiver.
Still, none of that compares to the pressure Rollins was facing less than a year ago, when he decided to make the move to football full-time. Redhawks coach Chuck Martin -- who tutored Dallas Cowboys corner Brandon Carr at Grand Valley State -- told Rollins he would keep him on scholarship for a fifth year at the school if he performed well enough. If not, it was time to start thinking about a career in something other than sports.
The rest, of course, is history. Rollins did that and more, and if things continue to go well at Ladd-Pebbles this week, he might surprise even himself at how high he goes in the draft.
You can follow Bryan Fischer on Twitter at @BryanDFischer.**
