The crooked left pinkie is a result of snagging Ryan Stickler's blazing passes in the University of Hawai'i's seven-on-seven football drills last year. The swollen ring finger came from Tim Chang's laser passes. There are eight other chapters of pain and sacrifice.

"Look at my hands," said Cockheran, a receiver who completed his UH football eligibility in December. "That's why I wear gloves when I play."

Chang smiled at the memory. "Those are the trials that receivers go through," said the UH quarterback. "Some of the balls we throw aren't the best, but they have to catch them. Don't worry about him. It's going to be well worth it when he's making money and playing somewhere nice."

Cockheran is hopeful his resume — 61 receptions for 997 yards and nine touchdowns last season — and his potential will land him a job in the National Football League. The seven-round NFL draft is tomorrow and Sunday, and UH coach June Jones said, "He may get drafted late."

Hawai'i coach June Jones is sure Jeremiah Cockheran will catch on in the NFL. "He has a good combination of size and speed, and he makes good plays in big games," Jones says. Advertiser library photos

Jeremiah Cockheran • POSITION: Wide receiver • HEIGHT: 6-0" • WEIGHT: 202 • 40 TIME: 4.40 seconds • VERTICAL JUMP: 37 inches • HONORS: All-Western Athletic Conference honorable mention; WAC Player of the Week • FUN FACT: In his spare time, he writes poetry. He once won a contest for his poem on a McDonald's Happy Meal toy.

Despite playing on one healthy ankle last season, Cockheran caught 10 passes for 117 yards and a touchdown against Southern California, the eventual national champion.

In the nationally televised upset of Alabama, he had five receptions for 124 yards and two TDs. In the Sheraton Hawai'i Bowl, he had five catches for 162 yards against Houston.

After the season, Cockheran went to Arizona to train. At nearly 6 feet 1 and 202 pounds, he has the size to endure bump-and-run coverages.

In Arizona, he worked out with Rob Moore, a former receiver for the New York Jets and Arizona Cardinals. Moore taught Cockheran about running precise routes and breaking free from a cornerback.

"He's a cool guy," Cockheran said. "He showed me what I needed to do."

Three years ago, Cockheran ran 40 yards in 4.26 seconds at the jcfootball.com combine. "That was back in the day," he said, "when I was 180."

Although Cockheran has run 40 yards in 4.37 seconds this year, he was timed at 4.4 seconds at the "Pro Day" combine in Carson, Calif., last month.

His T-drill time was 3.87 (by comparison, no UH player finished the U-shaped, 20-yard course in under 4.1 seconds last month).

During the pass-route drills, Cockheran earned bonus points for using only his hands, not his upper body, to secure passes. "The scouts were impressed with that," he said.

It was a skill he learned from hours of pass-catching drills at UH. "We try to teach all of our receivers to catch it in their hands," Jones said. "If you learn to catch it in your hands, you're going to make more difficult catches."

Cockheran said he received calls from 11 NFL teams. He met with the Oakland Raiders two weeks ago. The Cincinnati Bengals have shown strong interest. The Seattle Seahawks interviewed him yesterday.

"I'm confident," he said. "I know I'm capable of playing in the NFL. I just need an opportunity."

Whatever happens, Cockheran said, "I'll always have love for Hawai'i and Coach Jones and the program. Me and Hawai'i will have ties for a long time."