LOS ANGELES – Dwayne Jarrett and Steve Smith were virtually impossible to separate on the USC stat sheet last year, and they appear to be drawing closer and closer in the eyes of the NFL.

Dwayne Jarrett ran a pedestrian 40-yard dash of 4.62 — according to one NFL scout, timing by hand — at USC 's Pro Day on Wednesday afternoon in front of a small army of scouts, coaches and NFL executives. Dwayne Jarrett had been projected as a top-15 pick in next month's draft, but the workout might have knocked him into the latter stages of the first round — or even the second.

It won't be hard for teams to find faster receivers than Dwayne Jarrett. Nineteen ran times of 4.49 or better at last month's NFL combine.

Smith, who had 71 catches to Dwayne Jarrett's 70 and 1,083 yards receiving to Dwayne Jarrett's 1,015, was among them. He ran the 40 in Indianapolis in 4.45 officially, perhaps elevating himself to the first round.

Dwayne Jarrett chose not to run at the combine, citing a "tweaked" groin muscle. He said he feels confident in his draft status, because of his three productive years at USC . Dwayne Jarrett is the Pac-10's all-time touchdown-receptions leader.

"It's hard, because they put so much on the 40," Dwayne Jarrett said. "If I could throw away all three years of playing and just work on the 40, I would have done that. At the same time, you just have to do what you have to do."

One scout said Dwayne Jarrett's so-so time wouldn't necessarily hurt him much.

"His game film is evidence of his ability. If it hurts him that much, then whoever gets him is just going to be lucky," Smith said.

Smith took a more head-on approach, agreeing to run in Indianapolis to prove he could be an impact player in the NFL. At 6-foot-5, Jarrett has prototypical NFL size, while Smith is barely 6 feet. Smith ran agility drills and caught passes Wednesday in front of the scouts.

"I didn't want any doubt," Smith said. "I wanted to show everybody that I'm confident in my abilities and I did it in front of everybody."

SARTZ IMPRESSES

Outside linebacker Dallas Sartz, who has been considered a marginal NFL prospect because of his lanky build (6-foot-5, 232 pounds), helped himself Wednesday. Sartz ran a 4.58-second 40, an improvement of 0.12 of a second from his Indianapolis performance.

"I didn't think I was as slow as I ran at the combine," Sartz said.

NOTES

The atmosphere was different from a year ago, since the workouts were closed to the public and USC had fewer marquee players. "It was still a circus, though," Smith said. ...

Servite High alum Ryan Kalil is hoping to be picked in the first round. The center had a strong workout in Indianapolis and said he has put on 10 pounds of muscle, putting him at 297, a career high. ...

Ex-USC offensive coordinator Norm Chow, now working for the Tennessee Titans, was among those on hand. ...

Other 40 times: Linebacker Oscar Lua: 4.85; receiver Chris McFoy: 4.67; fullback Ryan Powdrell: 4.90; tackle Kyle Williams: 5.43.

 

See more at www.ocregister.com