In an 11th-hour attempt to give his draft stock a final boost, Ashley Lelie, strained hamstring and all, will work out for as many as 10 teams Friday in South Carolina.

The surprise move comes less than three weeks after Lelie re-injured his hamstring while running for some 50 NFL scouts in Santa Monica, Calif., and said he was done working out.

		Ashley Lelie should work out Friday only if his hamstring is 100 percent healthy. People forget that rookies attend mini-camp after the draft, and they need to be healthy. In recent years underclass receivers have struggled at making the adjustment to the NFL. They don't need to miss any more practice time with a sore hamstring. Being 100 percent for mini-camp should be the priority. Last year everybody talked about Koren Robinson not finishing his 40. Nobody had an accurate 40 time on him. They said he would plummet down the board, but he still went in the top 10 to Seattle as a third-year sophomore. The most important thing about Ashley is what he did on the field. If he has a lingering hamstring problem, so be it; it's a legitimate injury. But a prospect can't get consumed about elevating his draft stock just to see if he can. A hamstring injury may be minor, but it can quickly turn into an aggravant -- for the player and his new team. Ashley doesn't want to tell his new coach he can't practice. He wants to be 100 percent. Besides, it's going to be difficult for him to catch Donte Stallworth and be the first receiver taken anyway. Donte has pretty much seized control of the top spot, with Ashley likely to be the second receiver off the board. And there's nothing wrong with that.

But now Lelie says the hamstring is 80 percent -- good enough to run. And NFL scouts, who left the California workout with an incomplete profile of the speedy receiver from Hawaii, are eager to see him run pro-style routes.

"This is critical," said Vinny Cerrato, Washington Redskins director of player personnel. "When you have an owner who is going to invest millions of dollars in a player, you want to feel good about all your information. And right now, with Ashley, the puzzle is incomplete."

But for Lelie, efforts to provide that final piece could prove risky. He has pulled his hamstring twice already, once right before the scouting combine in February and again at his private workout March 25. So why risk injuring it even worse? Lelie could have declined the workout request and let teams decide based on what they already know -- he's 6-foot-3 and 197 pounds; he caught 84 balls for more than 1,700 yards last season; and he ran a 4.31 40-yard dash with a bad hamstring.

"I don't know," said Lelie, who tested his leg Thursday and is confident it will hold up through Friday's session. "I initially wanted to say no. I was a little aggravated that they wanted me to try and push my hamstring. But there's a lot of money involved. If I run well, I can really help improve my stock."

Lelie currently is the No. 2 receiver in the draft on most boards, behind Tennessee's Donte Stallworth. Most mock drafts predict he'll go somewhere between the 10th and 25th picks. But his agents are confident that a strong workout could vault Lelie as high as the fifth slot, which could mean as much as $5 million.

Last year, the difference between the No. 8 and No. 16 picks was $4.21 million. David Terrell was the first receiver drafted, going to the Chicago Bears at No. 8 and signing a five-year, $11.3 million dollar contract. Santana Moss was picked No. 16 by the Jets and signed a five-year, $7.09 million contract. And a good chunk of the money is guaranteed in various bonuses.

"We could have stood pat, but the way we see it, the potential reward far outweighs the risk," said Doug Hendrickson, one of Lelie's two Octagon agents. "The bottom line is that there are certain people, as high as the top 5 and as low as 20 or so that want to see him run some routes. These aren't just scouts. These are the big dogs, the decision makers. So we're going to try and make this work."

New York Giants offensive coordinator Sean Payton will quarterback the workout. Detroit Lions head coach Marty Mornhinweg and Washington Redskins owner Dan Snyder are among those expected to attend. The Lions, who have the third pick, are in need of a receiver after the free agent departure of Johnnie Morton, the team's leading receiver since 1998.

"It's no secret that receiver is one of their needs," Hendrickson said. "So they are one of many possibilities."

But who really knows? The NFL Draft is a game of cold and sometimes dirty poker, one in which everybody is looking out for their own interests and few are telling the whole truth. Every statement -- from coaches, players, general managers and agents -- must be taken with a grain of salt and an understanding of the bigger picture.

George Stewart, wide receivers coach for the San Francisco 49ers and a 14-year NFL coaching veteran, is well aware of such games.

"I wouldn't put much credence in a team saying that he could hurt himself or not, because maybe, deep down, somebody is hoping that he pulls up lame and then they can snatch him," Stewart said. "I'm a coach, so I don't really play those games. But if I ever get in the position to do so, I will. You almost have to."

There's little doubt that Lelie possesses all the physical tools of a top-notch NFL receiver. But ever since he declared for the draft back in January the knock on him has been his lack of experience in a pro-style offense. At Hawaii, coach June Jones ran a varied run-and-shoot attack, in which Lelie was allowed to improvise his routes based on what the defense allowed.

Jones, who spent 15 years as an assistant and head coach in various levels of pro football, finds the criticism of Lelie's route running laughable.

"It's not true," said Jones, who coached nine Pro Bowl receivers in the NFL. "You know, people have said that forever about this offense, but the reality is we run the same things the guys in the pros do. It's an excuse. They want to cover every single angle. But I can assure you, Ashley can do everything and anything that anybody I've ever coached could do. Maybe better."

But NFL coaches, GMs and personnel directors insist on watching him in person.

"That's the main reason so many people were in L.A.," Stewart said. "They wanted to see him run routes and do the things that NFL receivers do. And then he got hurt. So if he's able to now do those things on Friday, it definitely benefits him."

Nevertheless, Lelie said he will take every possible precaution to ensure nothing goes wrong.

For one, he won't run any routes that require him to open up his stride, like a fade or a post. In addition, at the first hint of soreness or discomfort in his hamstring, he'll stop the workout.

"I don't want to disappoint any of the teams again, but if I feel anything out of the ordinary, I'll stop," Lelie said. "Even if I only have one catch, I'll stop.

	“	I'd rather pull out and let teams pass up on me than have the whole first round pass me by because I hurt the leg again. ”
		— Ashley Lelie

"I'd rather pull out and let teams pass up on me than have the whole first round pass me by because I hurt the leg again. So we're going to let the teams know, I'm not 100 percent yet, and if anything goes wrong, we're stopping."

Hendrickson said he has made enough phone calls and done enough research to feel "pretty confident" that no matter what happens, Lelie won't slip out of the top 20.

And on the eve of this final, unexpected workout, Team Lelie is saying all the right things.

Hendrickson: "It's not really that much of a risk. The bottom line is that he didn't pull his hamstring running routes. He did it on the 40. And his hammy is close to as good as new. So I don't see it as much of a risk."

Lelie: "Anything to help my draft status I'm prepared to do. And route running is one of my strengths, so it shouldn't be a problem."

All in the name of solving a puzzle.

Wayne Drehs is a staff writer for ESPN.com. He can be reached at Wayne.Drehs@ESPN.com.