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On the world's grandest sports stage with hundreds of millions of people watching, a crafty little receiver made one of the great plays in Super Bowl lore.

And he didn't even catch the football.

Antwaan Randle El gained fame by throwing the football. On the money.

His 43-yard scoring strike to Hines Ward, which secured a 21-10 Steelers victory over the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl XL, sent a message to 'tweener-type college quarterbacks and NFL draftniks everywhere: Players such as Randle El are worth giving second, third and fourth looks -- even if they don't fall under the "conventional" category.

"I think every team in the league had to take notice of the success the Steelers had with Randle El," said Rob Rang, a senior analyst for NFLDraftScout.com, mindful that the Steelers also converted Hines Ward into a full-time receiver after he played quarterback at Georgia.

"I think they are certainly considering collegian quarterbacks who might not make it at quarterback in the pros, but looking at different ways of making them productive players. Randle El definitely helped to open people's eyes. And college quarterbacks with similar skills stand to benefit from it."

Michael Robinson of Penn State, for one, watched with delight as Randle El's air-tight spiral found the waiting hands of Ward in the Super Bowl. Because just like Randle El four years earlier, Robinson enters the 2006 NFL Draft as a fleet-footed college quarterback who can play several positions, albeit without the kick-return skills.

"It definitely helped a guy like me, who has the same capabilities," said Robinson, 6-foot-2, 227 pounds. "The only difference is that I'm bigger and I can play running back. But (Randle El) really helped increase the value of players who can do different things."

Robinson is not the only quarterback/receiver/running back available in the draft, which takes place Saturday and Sunday. Missouri's Brad Smith -- who broke Randle El's NCAA record for career rushing yards by a quarterback -- also falls into that category, as does Marques Hagans of Virginia and, to a lesser extent, Reggie McNeal of Texas A&M.

The Steelers invested a second-round pick on Indiana's Randle El in 2002, and they clearly got value. He caught 159 passes for 1,985 yards with seven touchdowns, returned 167 punts for a 9.5-yard average and four touchdowns, and completed 15 of 18 passes (counting the postseason) for 171 yards and three touchdowns. He also returned 77 kickoffs for a 22.6 average and one touchdown.

He was the Steelers' modern-day version of Slash, a name coach Bill Cowher bestowed on the multi-dimensional Kordell Stewart. Randle El recently signed with the Washington Redskins for staggering cash -- $31 million over seven years -- after displaying his diversity for four seasons in Pittsburgh.

"Guys like Randle El and Matt Jones (the former Arkansas quarterback taken in the first round by the Jacksonville Jaguars last year) have shown that they're worthy early-round picks and they're capable of making the adjustment to a new position in the pros," said Frank Coyle, of Draftinsiders.com. "I think, though, when you're talking about Smith and Robinson, they're second-day guys. (fourth- through seventh-round picks)"

In the case of Missouri's Smith, 6-2, 213, he has been reluctant to give up on his dream of becoming an NFL quarterback, even though most scouts believe he is the closest thing to Randle El in this year's draft. Smith ran for 4,289 yards and passed for 8,799 in four years at Missouri, becoming the first player in NCAA history to join the 4,000-8,000 club. With a time of 4.49 seconds in the 40-yard dash and slick open-field moves, Smith could serve as a punt returner and slot receiver, similar to what Randle El did for the Steelers. He also would be an ideal candidate for gadget plays.

But he remains committed to quarterback, despite being listed as a wide receiver on most draft boards. Smith did not return kicks in college.

"That's my goal. My plan is to play quarterback," said Smith, who grew up in nearby Youngstown, Ohio, but was not a Steelers fan and did not visit the team for a pre-draft meeting. "But if I was brought in on a team to develop, and that team thought I could help it out in some other ways, I would do it. But I ultimately want to be a quarterback. That's where I would be different than Antwaan Randle El."

Tony Pauline, of Scout.com and SI.com, believes Smith de-valued his stock when he chose not to work out as a receiver at the NFL Combine in February. Pauline also believes Smith likely cost himself an invitation to the Senior Bowl due to his desire to play quarterback.

"If he goes to the Senior Bowl and says, 'Tell me what you want me to do and I'll do it,' and shows what Randle El did four years ago, he's a first-day pick," Pauline said. "As it stands now, he might not get drafted or get drafted in the late rounds.

"Robinson is a little ahead of him because he played some receiver. He led Penn State in receiving his junior year, so he's ahead of the curve. In the case of a guy like Randle El, you knew he had what it took to be explosive because he returned a punt for a touchdown at the Senior Bowl. Robinson can't do that - he has average speed."

Robinson could go as early as the third round or as late as the seventh round. He has been clocked at 4.56 seconds in the 40-yard dash and is coming off a college career in which he played wide receiver, running back, quarterback and punt returner. In his only full season as a quarterback in 2005, he led the Nittany Lions to an 11-1 record and an Orange Bowl victory against Florida State. He completed 52.1 percent of his passes for 2,350 yards with 17 touchdowns and 10 interceptions on the way to Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year honors. He also rushed for 806 yards and 11 more scores.

A year earlier, Robinson primarily played wideout and led the Nittany Lions with 33 receptions for 485 yards (14.7 per catch) with three touchdowns, in addition to rushing for 172 yards on 49 attempts. He could serve as a wideout or a tailback in the NFL, positions he would gladly embrace.

He also could be in the Steelers' sights.

"I don't know," Robinson said of the possibility of coming to the Steelers. "I hear stuff, but I just don't know. Some people have me going as high as the second round, some in the third and some in the fourth. Everybody's talking about giving me a shot at quarterback, but I'll do anything to help a team."

McNeal, 6-2, 198, who threw for a school-record 6,992 career yards at Texas A&M, has the athleticism to play several positions - he was clocked at 4.40 seconds in the 40 -- but he'll likely get a long look at quarterback. He is arguably the most athletic quarterback in the draft. And Hagans, 5-10, 211, who has run the 40 in 4.6 seconds, could be taken late in the draft as an athlete.

Perhaps he could even fill a need for the Steelers, given the franchise's success with Stewart, Ward and Randle El.

"They find a way to make those players work in their system," Rang said. "The Super Bowl was a perfect example."

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