For a man listed at 6-foot-4 and 300 pounds, one might think that Daryn Colledge's size would be the first thing to jump out at you.
But in the case of the Packers' second-round draft pick, there is one other revealing quality that just might set Colledge apart from the standard NFL rookie: maturity.
Yes, Colledge is big, fast and athletic -- everything you look for in a young offensive lineman -- but it also doesn't hurt that he has his sights set on the big picture, which is working hard and taking care of his family.
"My wife keeps me pretty focused," the 24-year old North Pole, Alaska native admitted. "There can't be any screwing around. I have a second mouth to feed and a family to start. I've got bills and a house payment to make so I have to keep my job."
Colledge shouldn't have a problem doing that, considering he's been getting his share of the repetitions at guard with the first unit in the Packers second mini-camp of the season.
Known for his nastiness and mean streak at Boise State, Colledge would love to unleash that aggressiveness at the professional level, too. But right now, it's difficult to do that considering he's new on the job and workouts have been conducted in only shorts and helmets.
"It's hard to be that guy right now just because you're learning so much and you don't know what's going on every play," Colledge explained. "And you can't play at full speed. When I'm more comfortable going into training camp, hopefully I can turn it up and be more physical.
"But right now I'm just starting to learn where I'm going and how to get there doing it the way they want. When I know what's going on, I can get there and deliver, but right now, I have to hold it back a little bit."
According to Colledge, the transition to the NFL is coming along nicely for him and his teammates.
"I think all the guys are a little more comfortable with what's going on, especially us rookies," he said. "It's only the second time we've seen the books so it's awesome for us.
"But I think everybody is also feeling like they are in better shape. We haven't played football for a while but when you're running around you start to feel a little better and a little more confident."
Certainly someone Colledge could learn a thing or two from regarding the rigors of NFL life is Scott Wells. The center/guard is entering his third season and knows first hand what it takes to make it at this level.
And based on what Wells has seen, he thinks Colledge has got the stuff to be a good one.
"He's looking good, he's looking strong," Wells said. "He's learning how to play a position he's not used to. I think he's a little bit more used to playing tackle. It's a little bit different when you're inside, but he's come a long way and I think he's going to be a great player."
Wells, who was also married when he entered the league in 2004, also took notice of Colledge's size and maturity.
"He's big," Wells said. "Coming in, he looks like a grown man. A lot of guys coming in, they still look like kids to an extent, but he looks like a grown man.
"I know he's married and he's a little more mature than some guys. I think that's going to help him out in the long run and make him an exceptional player."
Speaking of exceptional players, Mark Tauscher and Chad Clifton are the cornerstones of the offensive line. But outside of them, Head Coach Mike McCarthy doesn't yet know who the starting five will be when the season rolls around.
However, the head man isn't too worried about who wins the starting positions because he said everyone has been giving their best effort.
"We have an open competition," McCarthy said. "There's an opportunity for everybody. We're covering a number of things. We have people fighting for jobs on an individual basis.
"We're also installing an offense and we're getting our structure the way we want it from a practice standpoint. I think we've accomplished that. So we're kind of over that first hurdle, but more importantly, we're installing an offense, but when we come back to training camp, we're trying to win games."
With McCarthy and new offensive coordinator Jeff Jagodzinski manning the controls, the Packers have had their hands full installing the new offense, not to mention a new zone blocking scheme.
Yet, the system certainly isn't foreign to Colledge, although he admits this isn't college anymore, either.
"It's pretty similar to what we did at Boise State," Colledge said. "We do a little more cutback than they do here, but I'm working with better athletes and better players. So, it's making the transition nice, but I've got a lot to learn. I have some technique stuff and some basic fundamentals I have to get better at."
The scheme, which relies on athletic players like Wells and Colledge, may be new to the team, but Colledge insists it will keep opposing defenses on their heels.
"The scheme is based off the idea that they need to start guessing," Colledge explained. "And that's what we want them to do. We want them to guess and over pursue and we can start doing some great stuff.
"I ran the same offense and we led the country in scoring for two years at Boise State so I know what the run game can do here. It should be exciting for us and the fans."
While Colledge is excited about his new team and a similar offense, he's also realistic of what it takes to be a successful NFL player. Call it level headedness, maturity, or just flat out understanding the task at hand, but one way or another Colledge realizes he has a challenge ahead of him.
"I think there's a lot of pressure," Colledge said. "It's not like college where they can sit me on the bench. I mean, these guys can literally fire me. I've got my wife to take care of and I've got bills like everybody else. So, there's a lot of pressure, but I think the added pressure is that you're playing with a lot of guys that have jobs too.
"You have Brett Favre behind you and that's pretty special. You've got to take care of that guy and you've got to take care of the running backs, too."
For now, Colledge is concentrating on getting better everyday. He knows the Packers didn't draft him to come in and coast into the starting lineup.
"For me, it's catching up every single day, working hard and becoming one of the guys so they can rely on me," Colledge said. "I don't think it's nervousness, but it's knowing you have to be better. It's the little things around here that are going to separate you from being a good player or being a great player.
"They're going to allow me a little bit of leeway, but also their expecting me to play right away so they want me to get it right. Hopefully I can take steps forward and do that for them. I'm improving everyday, I'm getting more comfortable and the physical part will come, the speed will come and hopefully when we kick off the season I'm ready to go. But we'll see what happens in camp."
For the Packers and Colledge's wife, Megan, they can rest assured knowing that their man is going to do everything he can to be an NFL success. And it looks like the process has already begun.
