Ross Scheuerman's initial suspicion was that he'd eventually take the degree in economics he's about to earn from Lafayette and "go into the city and work in the financial district somewhere."
It may yet come to that, but Scheuerman still has another option to explore.
"Right now I just want to focus on football and try to make football last as long as possible," he said.
The 6-foot, 204-pound running back has been doing a great job of that since his senior season at Lafayette ended, parlaying an appearance in the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl in January into an invitation to the NFL Scouting Combine in February into a spot on the Steelers' roster as one of 12 undrafted free agents.
That's already further than Scheuerman had envisioned football taking him when he reported to Lafayette as a freshman.
But after 704 career carries and 3,504 career rushing yards, he found himself working on the practice fields of the Steelers' South Side facility during last weekend's Rookie Minicamp rather than in New York City's financial district.
"Probably towards my junior year I thought it would be attainable for me," Scheuerman said. "Scouts started coming around, you would see them at the games, at practices.
"Talking to my coaches throughout the (2014) season, they always told me I have the skill set to get to the next level. Everyone's been telling me I can do this. I got invited to that all-star game and then the combine. From there I knew I could compete at this high level with the bigger-school guys."
Scheuerman completed his career in the Patriot League in style, carrying 45 times for 304 yards and three touchdowns on Nov. 22 against arch-rival Lehigh in front of a packed house at Yankee Stadium.
That capped a senior season during which Scheuerman led Lafayette in rushing (236 carries, 1,191 yards, 12 TDs) and receiving (57 catches, 521 yards, three TDs) and returned a kickoff 90 yards for a touchdown.
His 1,868 all-purpose yards ranked sixth nationally in 2014.
It matters not to Scheuerman that they were gained against Lehigh, Bucknell and Holy Cross rather than Ohio State, USC and Alabama.
"There are some good players in the Patriot League," Scheuerman maintained. "It's good ball. I don't think it gets the respect it deserves. Obviously, it's not known for football but it's a good, competitive league to play in."
At 204 pounds, Scheuerman isn't likely to earn a role as an every-down back at the NFL level.
But his versatility, productivity and potential have gotten him this far and provided an opportunity to take his football career even further.
Scheuerman will graduate from Lafayette on May 23.
But if he can keep making football last he might someday be in position to put his degree in economics to use figuring out how to best spend money earned playing in the NFL.
"Hopefully," he said, "gotta get there first."
