Scouts hope they are Wright about Manuel

By John Onan | Monday, July 11, 2005 | ( 0 )

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It was definitely a mixed bag for the nearly 50 NFL scouts who showed up in Los Angeles to see Manuel Wright on the practice field for the first time since his USC career was cut short after being deemed academically ineligible by the Pac 10 School. Wright, a defensive tackle, was the first player to declare for the July 14 NFL supplemental draft. He is heavily coveted by NFL teams because of the shortage of quality interior linemen in the league. Before the workout, many teams met with Wright in private.

The high point for Wright on Friday came when he ran under 5.0 seconds in the 40 yard dash after he had pulled up lame earlier in the session. He was quoted as saying, "I was showing I had heart� [I was] showing I could ride it out and stick it out."

On the downside, NFL scouts were concerned about Wright's conditioning. He was only able to muster 16 reps at 225 lbs. His weight was also a concern for onlookers who were alarmed that he arrived almost 20 pounds overweight. Despite this, he remains the most prized prospect in the supplemental draft.

Manuel Wright started only two games for the USC Trojans, but was a key reserve on their national championship squad. He finished his career there with 31 tackles and 3 sacks. He will most likely be a third round selection in Wednesday's draft.

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