When he suffered a season-ending knee injury in the second game of the year, Arman Shields wasn't sure if he would get a chance at a professional career.

So when the University of Richmond wide receiver got an invitation to attend the NFL's scouting combine in Indianapolis this week, he was ecstatic.

"When I got that letter on Christmas Eve, that was all I needed for Christmas," Shields said. "I almost jumped through the roof. I couldn't believe it. It was certainly a blessing.

"I'm very thankful for it, and I'm going out there and show them what I can do. It's what I've been working for my whole life."

Shields will be attending the combine from tomorrow through Sunday with other wideouts from around the country. Top executives, coaches, scouts and medical personnel from all 32 NFL teams will be in Indianapolis to test and evaluate players for the draft, which is April 26-27.

The last UR player invited to the combine was Houston Texans linebacker Shawn Barber in 1998. Barber was drafted in the fourth round by the Washington Redskins.

Shields caught 12 passes for 107 yards in the season opener at Vanderbilt, then suffered a torn posterior cruciate ligament in his left knee early against Northeastern the following week. He tried to come back against Rhode Island on Oct. 20 but lasted only one series.

"I just fell on it wrong," Shields said of the initial injury. "It really started to swell up when we got on the bus. I couldn't walk on it when we got to the airport. It got big as a balloon. I couldn't sleep that whole night. I was real anxious to get back and I rushed it [for URI]. Came back too soon."

According to Chris Jones, UR's director of sports medicine and football trainer, "You can operate, but normally you don't. Most PCL injuries heal non-surgically because of the blood flow to the ligament. He may have a little more laxity or play in the knee but usually it doesn't alter a person's function. He should be able to have no long-term effects from it."

Since a few days after Christmas, Shields has been working out at the Parisi Speed Camp in Fairlawn, N.J., where players go through the same kind of drills they will face in Indianapolis.

"We work on the combine drills, like the short shuttle, the 'L' drill, the 40 [yard dash], the vertical jump and the broad jump," said the 6-2 185-pounder from Washington. "And we learn the techniques for the drill, so we can execute it as fast as possible.

"Everything we do is in preparation for the combine. We have a nutritionist, a diet we have to follow. It's a pretty strict regimen."

NFL scouts are aware of Shields' injury and are eager to see if he can still perform at the level that made him UR's second all-time leading receiver.

"He's a talented guy," said Scott Campbell, the Redskins' director of pro personnel. "He's a local guy and we're keeping track of him. It helps that he's been a kickoff returner, but that's not the biggest thing. He's probably someone who will go in the second half of the draft."

Latrell Scott, who was UR's wide receivers coach for the past three years before going to Tennessee with Dave Clawson in January, believes Shields will make it.

"My thought is Arman Shields is definitely an NFL wide receiver," Scott said. "He's not out of his class by far. If he goes in and does what he's physically capable of doing, a lot of those teams will take notice."

Said Shields, "I just want to go out there and have fun. I'm not going to be thinking about the injury. I'm sure they're going to be checking to see if I'm limping or anything. After they see me perform, I'm sure I'll erase any doubts. I'm excited and ready to do this."