When my agent Doug Hendrickson first came to me with the idea of working out this Friday, I wasn't real excited about it.

Making the Leap

ESPN.com is following wide receiver Ashley Lelie on his journey from the University of Hawaii to the NFL. Lelie is writing a weekly diary, and we will file regular reports on the steps a prospect takes in preparation for the NFL draft on April 20. April 11: Final workout April 9: Chat transcript March 26: Workout day | Diary March 25: Hidden gems | Diary March 20: Diary March 13: Diary March 3: Diary March 2: Diary March 1: Diary Feb. 28: Workout wonders | Diary Feb. 21: Combine prep | Diary Feb. 14: Meet Lelie | Diary Send in your questions and Lelie will answer a few every week. Ashley answers: April 4 March 20 March 13 Feb. 28 Feb. 21

I remember thinking, "Man, don't they have enough film on me? Haven't they seen enough?" It was aggravating that some of these teams wanted me to try and push my hamstring. But the more I thought about it, 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.

Besides, this gives me another chance to prove myself. I didn't do it at the combine, and didn't do it at my pro day, so this gives me that one final chance to show what I can do. I'm sure there will be some nerves, but once I get out there and catch a couple balls, it should all go away.

As for the questions and concerns about my route running, I think they're kind of funny. I mean, even though these guys all say they want to see pro-style routes, when I worked out for the Texans a couple weeks ago, they only asked me to do fades, posts and outs. And that's what I did in college.

Besides, I feel like we did pro style routes at Hawaii. I mean there aren't too many more routes than double moves, and we did a lot of stuff like that. Everything they did in the league. I mean June is an NFL coach. And sure we did a lot of vertical stuff, but that was my strength.

Then there are the teams that think because I played in the WAC the competition wasn't that great. But the No. 1 pick (David Carr of Fresno State) played in the WAC. And it isn't like I was average or just good. I mean, I almost had 2,000 yards receiving. You would think that would transfer to the SEC or the ACC for at least a 1,000-yard season.

But with all that, I still can understand it. I mean, these teams are spending a lot of money, and they want to make sure. They want to make absolutely sure they're getting their money's worth. So it's my job to help prove they are.

My mood this past week has been real up and down, up and down. When I stop to think about all the different possibilities, I get real excited. Nervous, but excited. Then I listen to the negative stuff or read negative stuff and start thinking negative stuff. I worry that I might not get picked where I want. There are just so many emotions that run off and on. I have a feeling I'm going to be a wreck that day.

Sometimes I wonder if it would be a good thing that I slipped a little bit, and then that way I won't be expected to save some franchise, and I can surprise a lot of people. Who knows.

I've had a lot of teams in the middle portion of the first round that have told me there's no way in hell I'm going to be around when they pick. And I'm just like, "No way in hell? Umm, are you sure? Have you guys talked to the teams before you or something?" It's so strange -- you hear one thing, but then read something altogether different. And it's impossible to block it all out.

My visits to New York, Atlanta and Tennessee last week went great. Like I said, I had never been on a recruiting trip before, so it was a lot of fun. To sit in the office of Jim Fassel, who I saw on TV in the Super Bowl two years ago, and look at all his memorabilia and stuff is just like, "Wow. I must be pretty good. Whoa."

Down in Atlanta, they had just about every receiving prospect there, so you can guess which way they're going to go in the draft. It was great to see Donte Stallworth, Antonio Bryant and some of the other guys I've become friends with through this process. Donte is great. We've become good friends the past few months -- he's going to be a stud in the NFL. And I know he's been following these diaries, so Donte, if you're reading, best of luck next Saturday.

After Friday's workout, my plan is to head back to Hawaii, where I'm going to start packing up my stuff and saying goodbye to people. It's a tough place to leave, but I have to get myself ready to shift to another city.

Sometime late next week, probably Friday, I'll come back to South Carolina, where my parents live, and get ready for the draft. I can't believe it's almost here.