ESPN NFL

Does he want to be a pitcher or a (pass) catcher? That's a question Jeff Samardzija is going to hear a lot over the next year or so, and how he answers it might play a role in determining just how interested NFL teams will be in using a first-round draft choice on the standout Notre Dame wide receiver next spring.

The fact Samardzija signed a baseball contract with the Chicago Cubs this week won't change the manner in which NFL talent scouts assess the wide receiver as a football prospect during his upcoming season with the Irish. What it will affect, however, is the way scouts approach interviews with Samardzija after the season, and the line of questioning they use with him at events such as the Senior Bowl and the combine.

And it could affect, even if he is chosen in the first round, Samardzija's NFL contract negotiations as well.

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