Wright clears image, shoots up draft board

Instead of hiding from his past, former UNLV standout cornerback Eric Wright aggressively sought to clear up questions about his character.

He interviewed with NFL teams and media members, earning a reputation as someone who would not dodge tough questions.

Apparently, Wright's efforts paid off. With few doubts about his athletic ability, he might have worked his way into the first round of this weekend's NFL Draft.

"A couple of teams are interested in him in the lower part of the first round with his speed (4.36 seconds in the 40-yard dash), and they believe he's cleaned up his act," ESPN NFL expert John Clayton said. "The biggest thing, I think, with his speed, he matches up well in the first round."

Clayton said Wright (5 feet 10 inches, 192 pounds) probably will be the fourth or fifth cornerback chosen.

Wright could be a late first-round selection. His agent, Jamal Tooson, said possible first-round destinations include the New York Giants (No. 20), Philadelphia Eagles (No. 26) New Orleans Saints (No. 27) or Indianapolis Colts (No. 32).

Should Wright slip into the second round, Tooson said Tampa Bay (No. 35) or Cleveland (No. 36) might call the former Rebel's name.

"Generally, what I'm hearing is a projection from 20th to about 36th," Tooson said. "There was never any question about his talent on the field. The primary concern was (his character), so he was proactive with teams and showing it was an isolated incident that transpired.

"For the teams, it wasn't who he was in 2005 when that transpired, but who he is today."

Wright played as a redshirt freshman on Southern California's 2004 national championship team. He was arrested the following March on suspicion of rape, and police found 136 Ecstasy pills in his apartment. But charges were never filed.

Wright indicated after transferring to UNLV that others were at least partially to blame for the situation, though he never went into details. He was more pointed in a recent interview with Rick Gosselin of The Dallas Morning News.

"Those (drugs) weren't mine, and I didn't rape anybody," Wright told Gosselin. "The (district attorney) didn't file the case."

As part of his strategy to clear his name, Wright chose UNLV over some schools in Bowl Championship Series conferences, a decision that impressed Clayton.

"I just like what his strategy was -- 'OK, I had a problem at USC. They think I'm a bad guy, so I'm going to put myself in a city with more temptations than others and resist those temptations and prove it to others,' " Clayton said. "It was a bold, interesting philosophy."

John Murphy, a draft expert for Yahoo.com who rates Wright as a second- or third-rounder, said in an e-mail that NFL clubs are more at ease regarding any character issues with Wright.

"His off-field issues seem to be behind him, and teams like his upside," Murphy wrote.

Given the league's recent hard-line stance regarding bad behavior under new commissioner Roger Goodell, though, NFL clubs still might be skittish when it comes to picking Wright.

NFL Network analyst Mike Mayock told the Philadelphia Daily News that Wright is paying for lingering questions.

"Wright's got first-round ability," Mayock told the Daily News. "When he showed up at the combine, people's jaws dropped when they watched him go through the position drills. He's so smooth and quick. If he had a clean off-the-field record, we'd be talking about him as the No. 1 corner."

Wright, the first player to leave UNLV early for the draft, has said he saw himself as the best. But, through his agent, Wright said he simply is looking forward to hearing his name called.

"After all the hard work, I'm excited to finally have the opportunity to fulfill a lifelong dream of playing in the NFL," Wright said.