PRO FOOTBALL Clarett impresses scouts

He and two other players met privately with pro scouts in Columbus.
COLUMBUS (AP) -- Maurice Clarett ran, jumped, lifted weights and caught footballs for the first time for pro scouts on Monday. By and large, they came away impressed.
"Obviously he's going to be a bell-cow for somebody -- he's got that type of ability," said former NFL fullback Tom Rathman, who represented the Detroit Lions. "It's just a matter of him developing as a football player."
Clarett and two other former Ohio State teammates met privately with scouts at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center. Clarett had declined to work out at the NFL combine in February, so this was the first time scouts had seen the 20-year-old.
Clarett weighed in at 230 pounds, exactly his playing weight when he last took the field for the Buckeyes 15 months ago. He had times of 4.66, 4.63 and 4.67 seconds in his three 40-yard dashes, a standing long jump of 9 feet, 5 inches and a vertical jump of 36.5 inches. He lifted 225 pounds 19 times.
Joined by others
Almost every NFL team sent a scout. Clarett was joined in some of the drills by cornerback/wide receiver Chris Gamble and wide-out Drew Carter, who were Clarett's teammates on Ohio State's 2002 national championship team.
Clarett rushed for 1,237 yards and scored 16 touchdowns -- both freshman records at Ohio State -- while leading the Buckeyes to a 14-0 record in 2002.
The NCAA suspended Clarett prior to last season for accepting improper benefits from a family friend and then lying about it to investigators. He sat out what would have been his sophomore season, then challenged the NFL in court. He won the first step in early February when a federal judge ruled that the NFL could not prevent underclassmen from being in the draft.
That decision is being appealed by the NFL and attorneys were filing briefs while Clarett prepared for Monday's workout. Clarett's antitrust attorney, Alan Milstein, said a decision on the appeal is expected well before the draft on April 24-25.
"The only thing that's unusual is the speed at which everything is getting done," Milstein said Monday. "No one has ever seen anything quite like it in terms of meeting deadlines."
Most scouts complimentary
Most of the scouts who stopped to talk to reporters after the workout were generally complimentary of Clarett.
Former NFL wide receiver Paul Warfield, representing the Miami Dolphins, said he wasn't concerned about what many would consider the slow times for Clarett in the 40.
"He's a proven player -- at least for one year -- in terms of his running ability," Warfield said. "He finds holes, he reads blocks exceptionally well and he played in one of the best conferences in college football. You look at production."
Some NFL scouts were miffed that Clarett declined to work out in February in Indianapolis when most other draft-bound players did. Warfield said Clarett was not entirely in shape for Monday's workout but still gave scouts a snapshot of his abilities.
"He certainly gave people an indicator of some of the things that he can do," Warfield said.
Rathman said Clarett was held back by a bad quarterback during his ball-catching segment.
"His skills drills were fine," Rathman said. "He has the ability to run the football, we know that."
Clarett avoided reporters on his way into the facility and on his way out.