Scouts have recited a list of his flaws. Some question his arm strength. Some have labeled him a "system quarterback," a product of June Jones' run-and-shoot offense. Others say Brennan's slender 185-pound frame will crumble under the weight of NFL defenders. Some wonder whether he can adjust to taking snaps under center after playing exclusively in the shotgun formation at Hawaii.

Then there was that season-ending Sugar Bowl performance against Georgia — eight sacks and three interceptions in a 41-10 loss. If that was Brennan's national coming-out party, somebody should have stopped the music.

I sought Brennan in Mobile, Ala., during Senior Bowl week to see how he was handling the bashing. I wondered if he would be defensive, maybe even a little testy. Instead, Brennan was smiling. And he should have been.

Think about it. Despite all of these question marks that could drop Brennan out of not just the first round but possibly the draft's first day, he will likely be among the top five quarterbacks selected. He will be given time to develop because nobody will be expecting him to have a rookie season like Dan Marino's.

"I want to go to a place where the coaches want to invest time with me and I can be the guy down the road," says Brennan.

There is a demand for his services, too. Did you see all of the mediocre quarterback play in the NFL this season? Plenty of teams need quarterback help. And plenty of teams had their eyes on Brennan last week.

Brennan's strengths and weaknesses are not camouflaged. When he jogged onto the field for Senior Bowl practices, it was hard not to notice how frail he looked next to the South team's other two quarterbacks — Tennessee's Erik Ainge, who was listed on the Senior Bowl roster at 6-5 and 215 pounds, and Kentucky's Andre Woodson (6-4, 220). Brennan was listed as 6-3 but admitted he weighed even less than 185 pounds two weeks ago, when he had a bout with the stomach flu.

"Look at him," says one AFC general manager with a smirk. "How could you not wonder about his durability?"

Brennan's arm was clearly not as strong as that of Michigan quarterback Chad Henne, who was also at the Senior Bowl. When Brennan threw the ball more than about 25 yards in drills, his spiral lost some tightness. And although his delivery was quick, it came from a semi-sidearm motion near his ear.

Brennan, however, was very impressive in live drills against defenders. He spotted open receivers quickly. He threw accurately. He was nimble enough to elude pass rushers, he threw well on the run, and he improvised nicely when a play broke down.

"There's a lot of divided opinion about him, but arm strength is very overrated in the NFL," says former Redskins offensive coordinator Al Saunders. "Bill Walsh used to say the most important attributes for a quarterback are accuracy, courage and intelligence. Those things all override a strong arm, and this kid has them."

What scouts find hard to ignore is how prolific Brennan was in college. Hawaii's offense gobbled up real estate faster than Donald Trump. If Brennan can run an NFL offense, nobody will care what he weighs or how strong his arm is.

"Line up all the great quarterbacks and they all come in different sizes and styles," says 49ers Coach Mike Nolan, who coached Brennan at the Senior Bowl. "First you see if a guy's accurate and if he can execute when the play works. Then when the play breaks down, can he still make a play? Those are the guys who make it."

"We're all system quarterbacks," says Brennan. "Why worry about critics? Our system at Hawaii worked pretty well. Now my goal is to learn another one."

He showed that determination last week. The two top-rated quarterbacks in the draft, Brian Brohm of Louisville and Matt Ryan of Boston College, skipped Senior Bowl week, but Brennan was up at 7:30 a.m. daily, studying with 49ers offensive coordinator Mike Martz. And Brennan was focusing on getting over 200 pounds by the Scouting Combine in a few weeks.

Then came game day — and more fodder for the bashing. He completed just two of six passes for 29 yards and an interception.