"When I grow up, I'm going to play in the NFL," 10-year-old Kelvin Millhouse Jr. wrote on Christmas Day in 1991.

"We laughed about it," said Millhouse, a former University of Hawai'i football player.

The letter now is displayed in his mother's bedroom, a reminder that sometimes childhood goals are not impossible dreams.

After a don't-pinch-me workout witnessed by pro scouts last month, Millhouse has emerged as a candidate for selection in this weekend's seven-round National Football League draft.

"I would think he has a chance," UH coach June Jones said.

At 6 feet 1, Millhouse has above-average height for a cornerback. Aligned on the left side, he often defended an opposing team's best receiver — and with good results. He is UH's career leader in pass deflections.

But the soft-spoken Millhouse is not demonstrative and, set against UH cornerback Abraham Elimimian's animated play, it appeared he does not compete with full aggression. Rich Miano, who coordinates UH's pass defense, "wanted me to be more aggressive," Millhouse said. "Abe's a harder hitter, but I'll bring you down."

"The thing about Kelvin," Miano said, "is he's such a nice guy. He's the kind of guy you'd want to marry your daughter. He's a nice, articulate young man. He's very respectful."

But Millhouse's pleasant demeanor belies a fierce competitiveness. In the 2002 opener, when Eastern Illinois directed its power running attack to Millhouse's side, he responded with 10 open-field tackles.

In the first quarter of the 2003 Hawai'i Bowl, he suffered a stress fracture in his right foot. "It hurt tremendously," Millhouse said.

But he bit his mouthpiece, didn't say bo-peep, and kept playing. He finished with two interceptions. "After the game, I could barely walk," he recalled. "I guess I showed I could play through pain."

But the injury prevented him from competing in the East-West Shrine Game in January. Millhouse was not concerned as much about missing the all-star game as not being able to run the 40-yard dash in front of pro scouts.

The scouts had never timed Millhouse during his UH career. Instead, they reviewed videotapes of the Warriors' games and estimated that he ran 40 yards in 4.6 seconds, slightly slow for a pro cornerback. That estimate spread among the scouting services until it was widely accepted that he was a 4.6 runner.

"I needed to run the 40," Millhouse said. "That's what everyone looks at."

He targeted the March 23 "Pro Day" in Los Angeles. Then he enrolled in the Los Angeles branch of the Athletes Performance Clinic. The clinic, designed to improve the performance of athletes, has a membership that includes Boston Red Sox shortstop Nomar Garciaparra, soccer star Mia Hamm and former UH defensive linemen Isa'ako "Isaac" Sopoaga and Travis LaBoy.

Millhouse set two goals: gain strength and quickness. He participated in a creative weight-training program, which included lifting weights while standing on one foot to improve balance. He traded McDonald's combo meals for chicken salads and protein shakes.

Using videotapes as a guide, staff trainers demonstrated a step-by-step guide to lowering 40-yard times. The focus was on the takeoff — "the explosiveness" — because "a quick start is the key in a short-distance run," Millhouse said.

Kelvin Millhouse Jr. • Position: Cornerback • Height: 6-1 • Weight: 208 • 40 time: 4.36 seconds • 225-pound bench: 21 repetitions • Vertical jump: 40 inches • Honors: Western Athletic Conference first team in 2003; All-WAC second team in 2002; WAC's interception leader (5) in 2001. • Fun fact: Growing up, he never missed an episode of "Punky Brewster." Millhouse said: "I had a little crush on Punky." Advertiser library photo

At the Pro Day, he bench pressed 225 pounds 21 times, beating his previous personal best by seven repetitions. His vertical jump was 40 inches, an increase of 6 inches from two months earlier.

About 80 NFL officials and scouts — including head coaches Butch Davis, Marvin Lewis and Dick Vermeil — watched the 40-yard dashes on an outdoor synthetic track. Each player is hand-timed by 20 combine officials. Two average times are posted: for wind-aided and against-the-wind sprints. Millhouse's times were 4.36 seconds and 4.46 seconds.

"Those are incredible numbers," Miano said.

Of the top seven cornerback prospects ranked by ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr., only Virginia Tech's DeAngelo Hall (4.30) and South Carolina's Dunta Robinson (4.33) posted faster 40 times. Hall and Robinson are projected to go early in the first round.

None of Kiper's top 12 cornerbacks had more bench-press repetitions than Millhouse's 21.

"I did my part," Millhouse said. "Everything is out of my control now. I had to have a good workout, and I think I did that. Hopefully, I'm worthy of getting a chance in the NFL. It's now up to them."