Scott says he took reduced role at Maryland in stride

MOBILE, Ala. - When it comes to evaluating draft prospects, NFL personnel identify a sore spot and they press on it.

For Da'Rel Scott, his pressure point was a senior-year drop in touches and how he handled it. It was topic No. 1 when the Maryland running back met with pro scouts this week during Senior Bowl practices.

"That's the main question because they know what type of back I am, they know what I can do," said Scott, a product of Plymouth Whitemarsh High. "They're just wondering why that happened, so they ask me: 'How did you eahandle it?' And I tell them, 'I handled it in a professional way.' "

That doesn't mean Scott agreed with Terrapins coach Ralph Friedgen's decision to have Scott and two other tailbacks split carries. The senior, after all, had a 1,000-yard breakout sophomore season and missed half of his junior year with a broken wrist.

"I thought I came into camp and separated myself from everybody," Scott said. "Everybody was happy with the way I was practicing and being productive in the fall camp. But then the games came up, and it was a totally different story."

While he finished with slightly fewer regular-season carries than running back Davin Meggett, Scott was the primary ballcarrier in a 51-20 Military Bowl win over East Carolina. He took only 13 handoffs, but he made the best of them by rushing for a career-high 200 yards, including 61- and 91-yard touchdown runs.

That performance basically earned Scott an invite to the Senior Bowl. The 22-year-old didn't draw as much attention as some of the smaller tailbacks this week, but, really, he should have. He's got good size (5-foot-11, 205 pounds) and has run a 4.3-second 40-yard dash.

Still, most scouting services think Scott will be drafted late.

"I think my speed and my ability to hit the corners will help teams," Scott said. "But I can also run inside. I'm versatile. I want to show [NFL teams] that I can help them in every aspect - running the ball, catching the ball, and blocking."