Penn's Wynn hangs on to an NFL dream

Chris Wynn was frustrated in September and was still bothered last month.

But after coming to terms with a quadriceps injury - one that jeopardized his NFL dream - Penn's senior cornerback has been his usual, even-keel self while preparing for Saturday's homecoming game against Princeton.

"It's definitely a frustrating thing," Wynn said. "But at the same time, you know you have a responsibility and an obligation to your football team, especially being a captain.

"You can't allow yourself to have them see you down, beating yourself up."

That's exactly what the 21-year-old did behind closed doors after injuring his right quad in the season's second game.

Concerns that he could fall out of grace with NFL scouts preyed on his mind while he sat out the next two games.

Never mind that the 5-foot-9, 185-pounder was a College Sports News Football Championship Subdivision preseason all-American. Forget that he had five interceptions in each of the last two seasons. And disregard that he was known as an explosive punt and kickoff returner.

Wynn realizes that overwhelming statistics against Ivy League competition don't get one drafted or even invited to an NFL camp. For that reason, he'll tell you this season was so important.

He wanted to show NFL scouts that his statistics weren't just a result of playing in a certain league. Wynn wanted to prove that he could be the next Matt Birk (Harvard) or Marcellus Wiley (Columbia), Ivy Leaguers who contributed in the NFL.

That's why he was heartbroken when he was sidelined - and why he has been all over the field since returning three weeks ago.

Showing scouts the injury is long gone "is the kind of mind-set I have to go in with every week," said Wynn, who has 10 tackles, an interception, and a fumble recovery this season.

"I have to kind of build my credibility back," he said. "Let everybody know what happened, happened. I'm back."

A finance major, with a 3.0 grade-point average, Wynn's success in life won't hinge on whether he plays on Sundays.

"He's already got a job [offer] at Bank of America," Penn coach Al Bagnoli said. "So I don't think he is going to be on food stamps.

"He's a great student, a great kid. He's going to have some great options."

It appears Wynn already has great options. In addition to being offered a position at Bank of America, S.A. Brokerage also offered him a job.

"I will make my decision in the next month or so," Wynn said.

Then he hopes that an NFL team lures him away from that job.

"I think the NFL is a goal for anybody who plays football," Wynn said. "I would never in a million years pass on that opportunity because I would kick myself for years to come."

If he does make it, he'll prove something to folks who told him playing in the Ivy League would end his NFL dream. In high school, he was also recruited by Virginia, Boston College, and Vanderbilt.

"If you are good enough," Wynn said, "they will find you, and you will get a shot."