BOONE -- Appalachian State quarterback Armanti Edwards said Tuesday the Carolina Panthers seemed more interested in him than any of the NFL teams he has spoken with so far. But as much as he thinks they like him, he's not sure what they want to do with him.
Such is the problem with the celebrated Mountaineers passer, and the reason he was catching punts and running receiver drills at his pro day workout Tuesday.
The Panthers were one of 10 teams watching, and they'll be back Thursday for a private session with the two-time Walter Payton Award winner (the FCS version of the Heisman). What they're going to ask to see is a mystery to the multi-talented Edwards, the only player in NCAA Division I history with more than 10,000 passing yards and 4,000 rushing yards.
The professional ambivalence, however, doesn't extend to his coach.
"I think he's a quarterback," Appalachian State coach Jerry Moore said Tuesday. "I don't think there's any question about it."
The league has questions. Just shy of 5 feet 11, Edwards weighed in at 182 pounds Tuesday. That's 5 pounds lighter than when he was measured at the scouting combine in Indianapolis. Several scouts said they were hoping to see him around 185, to convince them he wouldn't be a durability concern.
But Moore talked about a scout who had worked another little guy who came out of Purdue, recalling that veteran evaluator holding his fingers an inch apart saying "he's that much shorter than Drew Brees."
Because of his size, no one seems willing to commit - or admit - to scouting Edwards as just a quarterback.
"Every team varies," Edwards said. "A couple teams like me as a special-teams returner. A couple like me at receiver and a couple like me at quarterback and receiver, so it depends."
It was all on display Tuesday. Edwards went through positional drills and all the standard physical testing he was unable to complete at the combine because of a right hamstring pull. Edwards ran his 40-yard dashes in the mid-4.4-second range (teams keep their own stopwatch times; Moore saw a 4.43), and his shuttle run times were equally impressive. He also did 13 repetitions of the standard 225-pound bench press.
"That was awesome," ASU strength coach Mike Kent said of the lift.
When all that was finished, it was out to the turf of Kidd Brewer Stadium to field punts, which he hadn't done since high school.
As for his de facto hometown team, Edwards admits he wouldn't mind being drafted by the Panthers. He met with coach John Fox and the offensive coaches at the combine, and will have further discussions this week.
The Jacksonville Jaguars will visit ASU today to audition him as a return man, and, Edwards said, said the Panthers, Indianapolis Colts and Miami Dolphins want to see him throw and run routes. Representatives from the Kansas City Chiefs, Buffalo Bills, Washington Redskins, Detroit Lions, Baltimore Ravens, Pittsburgh Steelers, Jaguars, Philadelphia Eagles and Cleveland Browns were on hand for Tuesday's workout.
