He's ready to be drafted by the Texans. The question is, if you're the Indy Colts, who do you draft to stop him? I'll give that answer soon.
April 3, 2006, 1:14AM
Bush has powerful showing
RB demonstrates strength to go with 4.33 speed in 40
By MEGAN MANFULL
Copyright 2006 Houston Chronicle
LOS ANGELES - Southern California running back Reggie Bush entered his workout for the NFL scouts Sunday as if it were a game. It wasn't simply about targeting specific numbers.
Bush had just one specific objective: to secure his place as the No. 1 overall pick in the draft. By late Sunday afternoon, he stood outside the USC practice facility confident he had done just that.
"There's always that .1 percent chance, but pretty much I figure 99.9 percent I am (the top pick)," said Bush, who checked in at 5-11, 202 pounds. "I did a pretty good job today. I think I proved to them that I should be the No. 1 pick."
With a ticket to Houston on his mind, Bush was nearly flawless in the different stations. He ran the fastest time of the day in the 40-yard dash — 4.33 seconds. He recorded the highest vertical jump — 40.5 inches. And he recorded the longest broad jump — 10 feet, 8.5 inches.
The biggest surprise to the more than 150 scouts and NFL personnel watching, however, was Bush's ability to complete 24 repetitions on the 225-pound bench press. That beat the majority of his teammates, many of whom are bigger than him.
"He took his shirt off, and I mean, he was huge," USC quarterback Matt Leinart said. "You should have seen the looks on (the scouts') faces. They already know how fast he is. They didn't know he looked like that."
Bush hopes that image stays with NFL scouts, who have criticized him at times because of his size.
It was an image that definitely left an impression on Texans coach Gary Kubiak and general manager Charley Casserly, who watched every move Bush made.
"That was my biggest surprise," Kubiak said. "I knew he was what he was. But to bench-press what he did at his size was pretty impressive."
Young vs. Bush
The Texans are weighing their options between drafting Bush or Texas quarterback Vince Young. They will meet with both players at their Houston offices this week, and because they hold the top pick in the draft, they can begin contract negotiations with one or more players at any time.
Bush will visit Reliant Stadium on Thursday. Young will visit and go through an on-field workout with the Texans on Friday.
Bush doesn't figure his association with Young will end even after the draft. The rivalry that grew between them in college is one Bush expects to continue in the NFL, especially if they are drafted by teams in the AFC.
"They will try to make that Reggie Bush vs. Vince Young," Bush said. "I think it'd be good. It'd just be an ongoing rivalry."
'Class individual'
Bush, who has never visited Houston, will be joined Thursday by his agent, Joel Segal, and his marketing consultant, Mike Ornstein. Because Bush had dinner Saturday night with Casserly and Kubiak, much of Thursday will be spent meeting with Texans owner Bob McNair and some of the assistant coaches.
"We spent a couple of hours with him, and you get a little more read on his personality, more than a 15-minute interview in Indianapolis," Casserly said. "I think he's a class individual, well-spoken, genuine."
Many in the league agree with Bush, taking it as a foregone conclusion he will land in Houston on April 29. That doesn't mean other teams weren't setting up meetings, though.
After Bush's four-hour workout, Tennessee Titans general manager Floyd Reese, coach Jeff Fisher and offensive coordinator Norm Chow met with Bush. After working with him for two years as the offensive coordinator at Southern Cal, Chow praised his former standout.
"I think he's a tremendous player," Chow said. "He's so explosive."
As for the potential of playing against him two times each season, Chow was less thrilled.
"We don't want to even think about it," he said.
megan.manfull@chron.com
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