UNIVERSITY PARK — Perhaps A.Q. Shipley's most impressive number at the NFL scouting combine was one that had nothing to do with his strength or explosive power.
Sure, doing 33 repetitions with 225 pounds, or covering 10 yards in 1.72 seconds — positively blazing for a 300-plus pound offensive lineman — were stellar efforts. What you may not know is that the Penn State center and Moon product also scored 40 on the Wonderlic exam, the 50-question, 12-minute intelligence test.
Harvard graduate and long-time Cincinnati Bengal Pat McInally is the only NFL player documented to have scored a 50 on the Wonderlic. Another Harvard player, Ryan Fitzpatrick, subsequently had been reported to have scored a 50 in just nine minutes, but that reporting later was corrected to a 38.
What all this means to NFL teams is simple:
"They're investing a lot of money in you," Shipley said Wednesday at Penn State's pro day, "so they want to make sure they're not getting a dummy."
Shipley's agent, former Western Pennsylvanian Eric Metz, told a tale of a doubter of his client's mental prowess.
"One coach put him on the (blackboard) and watched tape with him and said, 'Hey, I want to see if that 40 Wonderlic is for real.' By the end, the coach said, 'Man, you should have gotten 45.' "
Shipley is using his intelligence, particularly his football savvy, to score points with NFL teams.
"I almost try and bait teams to put me on the board because I know that's one of my strongpoints," he said.
Shipley has visits scheduled with Chicago and Philadelphia, among others. He had stopped in at Steelers offices Monday.
"Met with (coach Mike) Tomlin for about 40, 45 minutes, him and Kevin Colbert," Shipley recalled. "Then sat with coach (Larry) Zierlein, their offensive line coach, for a while and he put me on the board. We watched a little film, talked some football and then I got a tour of the facility. Everything went well. I know they like me a lot."
Judging by the prolonged visit Shipley and Metz had yesterday with Atlanta offensive line coach Paul Dunn, the former Pitt player and Pitt and Penn State assistant, the Falcons like Shipley, too.
Dunn declined comment, but Shipley said, "I know they really like me. I've heard from about 10-12 offensive line coaches. They'd love to have me so I think everything's going real well."
What this will translate to on draft day is a great unknown. Typically centers are not drafted in early rounds. NFL Network draft guru Mike Mayock has Shipley listed as his fourth center.
Another Metz client, cornerback Lydell Sargeant, was pleased with his workout yesterday. He dropped his 40-yard time to a low of 4.41 after having run 4.49 at the combine.
"It felt good," said Sargeant, who had left Gateway High School after his freshman year when his family moved to California, but came back to graduate in 2005. "I improved."
Since the end of the season, Sargeant has worked at Deion Sanders' training facility in Dallas to hone his man-to-man coverage skills.
"A lot of people (Tuesday) at Pitt's workout grabbed me . . . said this kid reminds us of Deshea Townsend," Metz said, referring to the veteran Steelers defensive back. "But he's probably a little bit mentally and physically tougher than Deshea was coming out of Alabama."
Tyrell Sales, the linebacker from Butler, also was pleased with his work yesterday. He said his low 40 time was 4.57 and he had 22 reps at 225 pounds
"Right now, I'd just like to get on a (pro) team," he said. "If I get drafted in the late rounds, it would be a blessing, but my mindset is just get on a team and then win a spot there. It's all in my hands now."
Notes: Senior defensive tackle Jared Odrick had been arrested for disorderly conduct earlier this month, but Penn State spokesman Jeff Nelson said he was unaware of any change in Odrick's status with the team. ... Graduated offensive lineman Mike Lucian pulled a hamstring during the pro day, and safety Anthony Scirrotto did not work because of a strained leg. ... Defensive ends Aaron Maybin, projected as a top five outside linebacker by Mayock, and Maurice Evans, are underclassmen entering the draft early who improved on their combine performance at yesterday's workout.
