Chiefs put Lelie through first workout

By Stephen Tsai
Advertiser Staff Writer

Former University of Hawai'i wide receiver Ashley Lelie yesterday eased through his first job interview — a private one-hour workout for the Kansas City Chiefs in Los Angeles.

"I wasn't nervous at all," said Lelie, who is projected to be selected as high as the first round in next month's National Football League draft. "I'm doing something I've done all my life."

The 6-foot-3, 200-pound Lelie, who relinquished his senior season by applying for the draft, is scheduled to work out Friday for scouts from the Dallas Cowboys, Jacksonville Jaguars, San Diego Chargers and Houston Texans.

Monday, he will work out for 40 pro scouts in another combine in Los Angeles. Lelie said former UH teammates Nick Rolovich, Craig Stutzmann, Channon Harris and Robert Grant also will audition.

At the Monday combine, Lelie will attempt to run the 40-yard dash for the first time since suffering a pulled left hamstring last month. Lelie, who ran the 40 in 4.27 seconds during workouts in Atlanta, did not run at the NFL combine in Indianapolis last month.

"My hamstring is 100 percent, and I'm looking forward to running at full speed," Lelie said.

Lelie said he received a promising review from the Chiefs, who indicated they were interested in drafting him. The Chiefs cautioned that "anything can happen between now and the draft."

"I'll keep working hard and see what happens," Lelie said.

Lelie said he had planned to return to Honolulu next week, but those plans were dashed when he accepted offers to appear in television commercials for EA Sports, a video game company, and ESPN.

He also canceled plans to watch the telecast of the draft in Honolulu. He said he will learn next week whether he will be invited to attend the first day of the draft April 20 in New York. If not, he will spend the day at his parents' home in South Carolina.