ANXIOUS TO KNOW THEIR NFL FUTURE.

Byline: VINCENT BONSIGNORE

At this point, Brandon Browner is beyond worrying where he'll end up playing professional football. After months of angst, fretting over who will pick him and in what round in today's NFL Draft, the former Sylmar High and Oregon State defensive back is going to clear his mind, kick his feet up at his mom's Sylmar home and let the day unfold.

It's all he can do to remain sane on the most stressful day of his life.

``The way I look at it, I've done everything I can to show them what I'm capable of and what I can bring to a team,'' said Browner. ``Now they have to make their decisions. It's out of my hands.''

Browner is projected by various mock drafts to be selected anywhere from late in the first round to early in the third, the only knock on the dynamic 6-foot-3, 227-pound cornerback being his unspectacular 4.6-second, 40-yard-dash time.

Browner concedes he won't be throwing up any 4.3s in the 40 anytime soon, but he feels he runs fast enough to keep up with NFL receivers. Besides, how many 6-3 cornerbacks who can tackle like a linebacker do you see lining up in the NFL these days?

Browner, the Pac-10 freshman of the year in 2003 and a full-time starter his only two years with the Beavers, is confident he'll be an impact player no matter where he gets drafted.

``I bring stuff to the table that a lot of (smaller) corners don't,'' Browner said. ``I can match up against the bigger receivers you see in the league nowadays, and I'm fast enough to stay with the other guys, too. Plus, I bring a lot of toughness and tackling ability that maybe a smaller guy doesn't.''

And contrary to what some people think, he isn't locked in on playing only cornerback. If the team drafting Browner asks him to move to safety, he won't protest.

``I'm a football player, man, so it doesn't matter to me at all,'' Browner said. ``Give me my helmet and pads and let's go play ball. Cornerback, safety. As long as I'm on the field, I'll be happy.''

Jeff Engilman, Browner's high school coach at Sylmar, expects Browner to see plenty of time on the field once he gets to the NFL.

``You're talking about a 6-3, almost 6-4 cornerback and you just don't see that kind of size at that position every day,'' Engilman said. ``He is a very, very unique player.''

Browner is one of five former high school players from the region who will anxiously wait to hear their names called either today or Sunday. Browner and former Notre Dame of Sherman Oaks and Florida State defensive lineman Travis Johnson expect to go the highest - Johnson is projected to go in the middle of the first round - while running back Manuel White (Valencia/UCLA) and tight ends Gregg Guenther (Taft of Woodland Hills/USC) and Alex Holmes (Harvard-Westlake of Studio City/USC) might have to wait a little longer.

Holmes is regarded as the fourth-ranked tight end according to various scouting services, while White falls within the top 25 running backs available.

Guenther's situation is a little less certain because he didn't play football his senior year at USC, deciding instead to focus all his attention on basketball.

As a result, NFL teams have to go back to the 6-8, 250-pounder's junior year to find the most recent footage of him playing football. Guenther started the final seven games that season and was the Trojans' fourth- leading receiver, catching 17 passes for 167 yards with two touchdowns. He also blocked a field goal.

But the long layoff will clearly be an issue today when teams ponder his draft status. In fact, his decision to quit football his senior year in favor of basketball was a topic of discussion when he sat down with NFL coaches and general managers the last few weeks.

``Obviously that was the first question most of them asked me,'' Guenther said. ``I answered honestly and straightforward and let them know why I made the decision I did. I wanted to give 100 percent to basketball for one year and see what happened.''

Unfortunately for Guenther, things didn't work out in basketball, with the Trojans suffering through a dismal year that cost coach Henry Bibby his job. Guenther began plotting a return to football toward the end of the season, and says he'll give everything he has to football from this point on.

``I'm ready to do whatever I have to do,'' Guenther said.

Guenther, like Browner and White, is represented by agent Leigh Steinberg and associates.

It helps Guenther that San Diego Chargers All-Pro tight end Antonio Gates never played football in college at Kent State, instead starring on the Golden Flashes' basketball team at power forward. Gates' success has warmed teams to the idea of a basketball player converting to football.

``I've definitely heard that name a lot lately,'' Guenther said.

The difference is Guenther actually played football at USC, and at 6-8 and with soft hands, he's an intriguing prospect for teams looking for a diamond in the rough.

``It could be a situation where he goes as a late pick or maybe as a priority free agent,'' said Bruce Tollner, one of Guenther's agents. ``But he will get a chance to play NFL football, and we expect the team that gets him to be very happy. You don't find many 6-8 tight ends with the kind of hands and athletic ability Gregg has.''

No matter where Browner and the others end up today, it will be the culmination of a dream, and the starting point for another.

``I've been thinking about playing in the NFL since I was a little kid,'' Browner said. ``So no matter what happens (today) I'll be grateful and appreciative of the opportunity. It's up to me to make the most of it, and that's what I plan to do.''

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Cornerback Brandon Browner, a Sylmar High product, is one of several locals expected to be taken in this weekend's 2005 NFL Draft.

Stephen Dunn/Getty Images