INDIANAPOLIS - Michigan tailback Chris Perry is a quiet, unassuming guy.
So while Ohio State s Maurice Clarett is grabbing most of the headlines for what he s not doing at the NFL scouting combine, Perry is working hard to try and improve his stock in the April draft.
“I have no problem with Maurice,” he said yesterday. “Maurice is a great back. I haven t had a chance to meet him personally, but from what I hear from people who know him, he s a great guy.
“He deserves the attention. He had a great freshman season - I was disappointed to see what happened to him before the season this year - but I appreciate what he s doing by making history. He s coming into the NFL and into a league that wouldn t allow it before. He deserves all the recognition he is getting. I say, More power to him. ”
Perry, a 6-0, 224-pound senior who spent four seasons at Michigan, shrugs off suggestions that Clarett may not be able to cut it in the NFL, given that he hasn t played football competitively in 13 months.
“I think it s a different case with each individual person,” Perry said. “It s like coming from high school to college. Coming from high school, he did a great job in college football. So you never know what s going to happen. I wish him the best.”
Perry, represented by agent Eugene Parker, will participate in some of the workouts at the combine. But he is nursing a hamstring injury and said he may skip the running drills, opting instead to run the 40-yard dash during Michigan s pro day on March 12 in Ann Arbor.
Perry said the best 40 time he has turned in has been 4.5, clocked in the spring of 2002.
“There s probably a misconception of how good Perry is, because he s so nice and gentle,” former Dallas Cowboys talent evaluator Gil Brandt said. “But he s a real tough guy on the field.”
Besides Perry, the top runners in the draft are Virginia Tech s Kevin Jones, Oregon State s Steven Jackson, Florida State s Greg Jones, and Notre Dame s Julius Jones.
“I ve heard a lot of things, from late first round to the top of the second round,” Perry said. “But nobody knows the type of people out there that make the decisions. So I ll find out the same time everybody else does.
“I think I stack up very well. I think every back in the draft has their strengths. Steven Jackson is a big, powerful guy. Kevin Jones is a fast guy, he just has blazing speed. Me, I think I m just versatile. I think I do everything well. I think I m a very good all-around back. I think I match up well with each and every back in this draft.”
Perry was a first-team All-American and finished fourth in the Heisman Trophy balloting last season while leading the Big Ten in rushing. He was named the conference s offensive player of the year and first team All-Big Ten, joining quarterback John Navarre and offensive tackle Tony Pape, who also are attending the combine.
Perry, coming off back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons, had 1,674 yards and 18 rushing touchdowns this year, tying him with Anthony Thomas for second-most ever, as the Wolverines captured their first outright Big Ten title since 1997.
He became just the second player in Michigan history - Thomas was the other - to surpass 2,000 all-purpose yards in a season, ending with 2,041. Perry also set a school record with 44 catches for 367 yards and two touchdowns, after catching just 22 passes his first three seasons.
“I think the best part of my game is my versatility,” Perry said. “I m not a guy who just runs the ball or just catches it, I can also block. I do all of three things very well. I think my versatility is my strength. If I had to pick one thing I could work on, I would say running routes.
“I think the NFL is a completely different league than college and running routes is something you have to do perfectly or the linebacker or safety are going to break on the ball before it gets to you. So I think it s something I have to work on, and with coaching, that will be no problem. “
Perry is not considered a franchise back, but he can be a solid player in the NFL, because he s a shifty runner, with good size and quickness.
His game would be a good fit for any team that runs the West Coast offense.
“I think I could fit into that kind of offense very well, he said. “That s the type of back they look for, for a back to come out of the backfield and catch the ball and create matchup problems for defenses. I think I can do that.”
First Published February 21, 2004, 12:33 p.m.
