“I thought that was a pretty unfair comment to make. That’s the most negative report I’ve seen,” said Soriano, who apparently was not beguiled by the write-up’s lavish praise of his “big, bubble butt.” “I don’t know what their sources are. I haven’t let it bother me.”

Soriano admits he would have liked to have performed a little better at the NFL combine held earlier this winter. He was happier with his performance on pro day at Harvard last month.

“The atmosphere [at the combine] is tough,” says Soriano, who clocked a 40 time of 5.44 seconds and benched 225 pounds 15 times. “They have their eyes on you all the time—when you’re working out, during your physical, even when you’re just walking around. Everybody’s there, too. You name it, they were there—Bill Parcells, Steve Mariucci. All those guys were there. It was just a tough atmosphere. A lot of people do a lot better at the pro days.”

Critics of Soriano’s body strength overlook the fact that before last spring, Harvard had no full-time strength and conditioning coordinator. A fairer assessment of Soriano might note that he’s thrived under what strength programs he’s had available to him. Since Sean Hayes was hired by Harvard, Soriano says he’s improved his bench by 30-40 pounds.

“My body has gotten a lot stronger in the past year,” says Soriano, who says he wishes he’d had Hayes around for his entire four years. “My bench has increased in six months more than it has gone up in the three years before that.”

This weekend, Soriano will go home to New York as he waits to learn when he’s selected. His parents, both immigrants to America, have been supportive of his career plans.

“They don’t mind that I’m putting off medical school,” he says. “The money’s a lot better in football than it is in medicine.”

“I don’t know if it’s hit my parents what kind of opportunity this is,” he adds. “I don’t think it’s hit me yet.”

He’ll be anxious, he says, as he sits by the phone on the couch. Then again, at least he’ll be sitting down—it’ll be one of the few days off he’s had in a while.

“I haven’t had much of a break,” he says.

You say Soriano doesn’t need football? No kidding. But he wants it. And that says a hell of a lot more.

—Staff writer Brian E. Fallon can be reached at bfallon@fas.harvard.edu.