INDIANAPOLIS — Is it too early to already start talking about his departure?

At some point, Denard Robinson will leave. He opted to stay despite the departure of former head coach Rich Rodriguez. But after the 2011 season, Robinson’s options will include jumping to the NFL.

He’s already caught the eye of a few talent evaluators at the NFL Scouting Combine. The unsurprising consensus is that the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year is talented — but one analyst doesn't think Robinson would remain a quarterback at the next level.

“We have a long way to go, but my initial impression is he’s just a phenomenal athlete so you have to find a way to get him on the field as an athlete,” said Todd McShay, who’s director of college football scouting for ESPN Scouts Inc. "He’s not going to play quarterback in the NFL.

“There have been a lot better dual-threat quarterbacks (who have changed positions), Pat White for example. I’m not saying Pat White is a better athlete (than Robinson). But Pat White is a better passer, better quarterback. And (Pat White’s) playing baseball.”

Robinson could follow the already-beaten path. Of course, Rodriguez groomed White when the two were at West Virginia. Then there was Antwaan Randle El at Indiana, Josh Cribbs at Kent State, Armanti Edwards at Appalachian State and Brad Smith at Missouri, among others.

In Randle El’s senior year at Indiana, he won the Chicago Tribune Silver Football and Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year awards, just like Robinson did this past season — and Randle El accounted for 54 percent of the Hoosiers’ offense.

But no one has matched — not Randle El or anyone else on that list — what Robinson did for Michigan in 2010, throwing for and running for more than 1,700 yards in a single season.

And like most of the others who had to change positions, Robinson is smaller in stature for a quarterback. At 6-foot, 193 pounds, he took a beating running the ball between the tackles and exited nearly every game for some period of time due to injury.

So his durability as a skill position player, like as a wide receiver or return specialist, could come into question.

As for his height, Super Bowl MVP quarterback Drew Brees stands at 6-foot and has proven that you don’t have to be 6-foot-4 to be a successful passer in the NFL.

Robinson has maintained that he’d like to play quarterback in the NFL, but that he would be willing to play other positions if asked to.

For now, he will have to handle the transition from Rodriguez’s spread-option offense to Brady Hoke’s pro-style sets. The switch might not produce the same explosive plays everyone became accustomed to, but it could boost Robinson’s chances to stay at quarterback in the NFL if he excels under the new scheme.

Robinson completed 62 percent of his passes for more than 2,500 yards with 18 touchdowns and 11 interceptions in 2010. But that was with receivers running wide open at times due to how Rodriguez’s offense was designed to make teams respect Robinson’s running-ability, so he could throw over the top.

While McShay wasn’t so sure about Robinson’s future at quarterback, NFL Network draft expert Mike Mayock and NFL.com senior analyst Gil Brandt both thought it was too early to speculate about Robinson’s NFL future.

“It’s not his turn yet,” Mayock said, referring to how Robinson isn’t eligible for this year’s draft. “He’s a great athlete and it’s way, way too far away. I did his Notre Dame game this year (when Robinson accounted for 502 total yards). He was phenomenal. I wish him well, but it’s way too early.”

Added Brandt: “I really haven’t studied him that much. He looks like a pretty good passer and he looks like a talented guy. … What happens usually with those (dual-threat) guys is you start them at quarterback and see where they go from there.”

Denver’s Tim Tebow is a prime example of a quarterback who ran a spread offense and used his feet in college, yet is getting an opportunity to play quarterback in the NFL.