Lelie closer to NFL draft

By Stephen Tsai
Advertiser Staff Writer

Signs increasingly point to University of Hawai'i wide receiver Ashley Lelie forgoing his senior season and applying for the 2002 National Football League draft.

Lelie, who led the Western Athletic Conference and was second nationally in receiving (142.8 yards per game), was scheduled to return to his family's home in South Carolina yesterday. He could not be reached for comment.

UH coach June Jones said Lelie has not made a decision. "He's going to talk to his mom and dad," Jones said.

But a former roommate said Lelie is subleasing his room in a McCully house, and that he is not expected to return to the Islands until March. She said she believes Lelie expects to apply for the NFL draft.

UH's spring semester begins Monday. The UH syllabus lists Jan. 22 as the last day to drop courses and March 15 as the deadline for "restricted withdrawals."

Lelie, who is a 1998 Radford High graduate, spent the holidays with his parents, who moved to South Carolina two years ago. Lelie returned to Hawai'i last Thursday, and met with Jones yesterday afternoon.

"It's his decision to make," Jones said. "It's not my decision."

Friday is the deadline for underclassmen to declare eligibility for the draft.

When asked where Lelie ranked as a pro prospect, Jones said, "I have no way of evaluating without seeing the other players. ... I think he's a very good player for the University of Hawai'i right now."

Last week, Lelie said he was projected as a second-round draft selection by one NFL scout.

Mel Kiper Jr., who analyzes the NFL draft for ESPN, rated Lelie No. 2 among the underclassmen wide receivers in the country.

Kiper gave Lelie a five-star rating; only four seniors earned such a rating.

The 6-foot-3, 179-pound Lelie caught 84 passes for 1,713 yards and 19 touchdowns in 12 games last season.