When Bhawoh Jue headed to Penn State University after graduating from Chantilly in 1997, he did so with a goal in mind: make it to the NFL.

Jue, who anchored the Chargers' run to the Group AAA state title in 1996, knew Penn State would provide the platform for a career in professional football. This weekend, Jue will reach his goal when he is chosen in the 2001 NFL Draft.

``Coming to Penn State, I always figured I'd have the chance to make it to the NFL," Jue said. ``Getting to play a national schedule and the chance to play on national television, I knew I'd have a chance. All I needed was the opportunity to get on the field and show what I could do."

Jue, a 6-foot-1, 196-pound cornerback, got that chance this past season when he was inserted into the Nittany Lions' starting lineup after three seasons of spot duty. He finished sixth on the team in tackles (43), led the team in pass breakups (13) and was an honorable mention All-Big 10 selection.

Since the end of the season, he played in the Senior Bowl and participated in the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis. The payoff for all of his hard work is soon to come. Jue has been told he will likely be picked somewhere between the middle of the second round and the middle of the third round this weekend.

``I've heard a wide range of things, and there are obviously no guarantees so hopefully I'll be selected where they say," Jue said. ``I know I'm going to get drafted and I'm excited about that. But I'm going to have to come down to earth real quickly because I'll have to go to mini-camp next week with whoever picks me, and I'm going to have to show them why they're paying me all that money."

One thing Jue said he needs to work on is covering opposing receivers using the ``off technique," where the cornerback lines up 8 yards off the line of scrimmage. Jue's strength is the man-to-man press coverage style that Penn State employs almost exclusively. Jue got his first real experience using the off technique at the Senior Bowl. Still, the impression Jue made on the NFL personnel in attendance there caused his stock to rise.

``When I was on the sidelines at the Senior Bowl, I heard [the NFL personnel] saying stuff about me like, `I didn't know he was that big,'" Jue said. ``Going into the Senior Bowl, people didn't know too much about me. But I wasn't going to be shell-shocked by playing against the best seniors down there. Not to be overconfident, but we played against the best at Penn State, guys like [former Ohio State and current Arizona Cardinals wide receiver] David Boston. It was just a good chance to show what I could do.

``One the advantages I have is that Penn State players are so fundamentally sound that you don't need to teach them too much once they get to the NFL. Also, the Big 10 is a physical conference and gives you a little taste of what the NFL is like. [Penn State coach] Joe Paterno has sent a lot of his players to the NFL, and it's not by accident."

Jue, who grew up a San Francisco 49ers fan in a house full of die-hard Redskins supporters, said he has no real preference over which team picks him this weekend - as long as the weather is warm where they play.

``But watch me get picked by either Buffalo or Green Bay," Jue said.

Buffalo is the only team Jue has visited. He is taking 15 credits this semester at Penn State and would have missed too much class time had he gone to visit every team interested in securing his services. He'll be nine credits short of graduation after this semester and said he plans to take correspondence classes so he can graduate in August before training camp starts.

The Redskins want to add a young cornerback, and they like Jue. But the Redskins view him as a third-round prospect, and they don't currently have a third-round pick.

Whether the Redskins pick him or not, Jue said he plans to buy a house or apartment in the Chantilly area for the offseason.

He also has another purchase in mind.

``I'll probably get my mom a nice car for driving me to all of those practices when I was growing up," Jue said. ``I might even get one for myself."

Tomorrow, Jue will be at his apartment in State College, Pa., watching the NFL Draft with a few friends from the Penn State team who also hope to hear their name called. When Jue's name is announced, it will be the culmination of a journey that started when his family left war-torn Liberia for the United States when he was just 1 year old.

``It's definitely going to be rewarding," Jue said. ``Coming out of the situation I was in, the odds were definitely against me. I had plenty of chances to get off the right path but my mom and family kept me going in the right direction. It just shows you what hard work and determination can get you."

For Jue, it will be a career in the NFL.