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On the other hand, J.J. Arrington helped his already high draft stock with a 4.46 40. AP

When asked on Thursday what kind of 40 time he hoped to run, the 234-pound Clarett said: "Four-something. I'm going to go out there and do the best I can. I can't tell you what I'm going to run. I'm going to strap my shoes on and whatever I run, I'm going to walk away with.''

Walk away he did, which probably only furthered his image within the league as a player who is still battling immaturity issues. Last year, while he was suing the league for the right to enter the draft a year early, Clarett showed up at the combine out of shape, refused to take part in any workouts, and struck most team officials as an attitude problem.

While Clarett did markedly better in terms of his work ethic and attitude this year, his poor performance on Saturday will make his March 8 pro day nothing short of his last-ditch attempt to salvage his football reputation.

"[He] didn't run as well as I think he expected and we expected, but we've got to look at it again and find out why, and is he healthy?'' Tampa Bay head coach Jon Gruden said. "Has he been training? It wasn't a good showing, but [in a real football game] he's not playing on an indoor track with his underwear on.''

Lions offensive coordinator Ted Tollner also tried to be charitable to Clarett, choosing his words very carefully when asked if Clarett was now relegated to collegiate free-agent status.

"I don't know if you can say that,'' Tollner said. "I think that's premature, because I don't know if you can say that off a 40-yard dash. I'm always very cautious. I'd rather weigh what they do as a player more than just the 40. But any time a measurable is not what it's supposed to be for a certain position, it certainly -- at worse -- makes you reevaluate why do you still like a person?''

While Clarett set the standard for futility at running back on Saturday, Cal's J.J. Arrington and Auburn's Ronnie Brown were on the opposite end of the 40-yard results chart. Arrington ran a 4.46, and Brown, at 231 pounds, wowed the league's talent evaluators with a sizzling 4.48 timing. Already one of the draft's most highly regarded running backs -- along with Auburn teammate Carnell "Cadillac'' Williams and Texas' Cedric Benson -- Brown might have vaulted himself even higher in the opening round's top 10.

"His stock was high to start with,'' Gruden said of Brown. "He's one of the top players in this draft. But, yeah, it was impressive. He's an impressive back. He's an impressive kid. They're [Auburn] an impressive team.

"There's a lot more to this than the 40-yard dash. The thing about Ronnie is he's a great pass receiver. He's got size, he's a great kid, and he looks like a pro football player to me.''

Given the latest setback in his attempt to revive his once-promising career, that's not an observation many folks were tossing Maurice Clarett's way on Saturday.