INDIANAPOLIS -- Throughout his five years at Ohio State, Ross Homan put in his time, played special teams, and worked his way into the regular playing rotation. By his third season he was a starter, and Homan went on to be an Ohio State captain and an all-Big Ten first team pick.

With his Ohio State career fresh in the rearview mirror, Homan is taking a crack at the pros, and going through the gauntlet of interviews, medical exams, psychological testing, and on-field workouts here at the NFL Combine.

The Coldwater native commented on the reality of moving into the pro ranks and proving yourself to a thousand skeptics.

"You're at the bottom of the food chain again," Homan said after the first round of sessions at the Combine.

Homan likened the routine at the NFL Combine to the start of his college career, when he went to Columbus and had to find where he would fit in.

Although he said he has no indication of the level of interest NFL teams might have in him looking toward the draft at the end of April, Homan said his Ohio State background won't hurt his chances of getting an opportunity in the pros.

"Ohio State is definitely well-represented in the league," Homan said, referencing former Buckeyes linebackers James Laurinaitis with St. Louis and A.J. Hawk with Green Bay.

"When you play at Ohio State, you're out on a big stage and in pressure situations. It makes you perform under stress."

Homan, who was Ohio State's second-leading tackler this season despite missing a pair of games with a foot injury he suffered in a loss at Wisconsin, measured 6-foot and 240 pounds by the NFL's official numbers.

He was a leader on an Ohio State defense that ranked second in the nation this past season, allowing just 250.5 yards per game. Homan also helped the Buckeyes lead the Big Ten in total defense, scoring defense, pass defense, and in allowing the fewest number of first downs by the opposition (165).

Homan was a three-time, first-team all-Ohio selection at Coldwater, and led his team to the 2005 Division IV state championship. He was a three-year starter at Ohio State after taking a medical redshirt in the 2007 season because of persistent turf toe.

HINES REPORT: Since the Buckeyes' Sugar Bowl win over Arkansas in early January, Ohio State defensive back Jermale Hines has been locked in on preparing himself for the NFL Combine here at Lucas Oil Stadium.

Hines left Columbus and went to south Florida to put all of his time and energy into a rigid training regimen designed to prepare college players for the intense NFL screening process that occurs at the Combine.

"I worked out with my trainer twice a day, six days a week. I had interview specialists, massage therapists -- everything -- you name it and I probably had it," Hines said yesterday. "So I am pretty well-prepared for this."

A first-team all-Big Ten choice this past season when he helped the Buckeyes go 12-1 and win a fourth straight Big Ten championship, Hines played linebacker in high school at Cleveland Glenville and in his first year at Ohio State, and there has been some talk here that he could end up back at linebacker in the pros.

"I've heard a lot of things. It's all over the place right now," Hines said about his potential position in the NFL. "I just go out there and play the way I think the game should be played, and that's fast and physical."

Hines also said his experience playing special teams at Ohio State should be a bonus as the pros review his resume.

"That's something we stressed at Ohio State," he said. "If you didn't play special teams, you couldn't play. That's something that's already instilled in me."

Hines also commented that he felt being part of the Ohio State program and under head coach Jim Tressel's direction has been a plus in the NFL screening process.

"It was a great experience," Hines said about playing for the Buckeyes, "with a guy like Tressel who teaches you how to be a man, on and off the field, every day, and basically prepares you for life."

Hines was a two-year starter in the defensive backfield for the Buckeyes, and in 2010 helped them force 28 turnovers and allow just 16 touchdowns.

He said a number of former Buckeyes now in the NFL assisted him in preparing for the Combine, and avoiding any surprises here.

"It's been pretty much what I expected," Hines said about the marathon schedule of medical tests and interviews that precede the on-field physical workouts. "There's been a ton of Ohio State guys here before me."

CONCUSSION TOOL: Confronting the increasing number of concussions suffered by its players, the NFL is seeking better methods for evaluating and treating them on the sidelines.

The league's Head, Neck and Spine Committee has been working on standardizing the procedures teams follow, and they are developing new assessment tools.

"Often times, this is a very complex injury to evaluate and assess," said Dr. Margo Putukian, a member of the committee. "Certainly on the sideline it's difficult, so it doesn't take the place of the professional athletic trainers and team physicians in terms of their assessment and how well they know the players."

First Published February 28, 2011, 5:18 a.m.