Andre Woodson has been one of the most heavily scrutinized players during the NFL Draft process. And after spending the past two months reading and hearing about how his stock has fallen, the former University of Kentucky quarterback is hoping for a strong finish leading up to the April 26-27 draft in New York City.

Woodson took a step in that direction at UK's Pro Day workout Wednesday morning. He ran the 40-yard dash in a respectable 4.8 seconds despite battling a slightly pulled hamstring, and he looked sharp throwing the ball to former UK receivers Keenan Burton, Steve Johnson and Jacob Tamme as scouts from 25 NFL teams looked on.

'I think I made a good statement with the way I threw the ball, and I think a lot of people noticed that,' Andre Woodson said. 'All of my balls were accurate, and I think I did a good job of putting some power in it.'

Woodson, who passed for 3,709 yards and 40 touchdowns with 11 interceptions as a senior, was seen as a probable first-round pick for much of the season. But an inconsistent showing in the Senior Bowl led most analysts to drop him out of the first round.

Boston College's Matt Ryan is rated as the top quarterback in the draft, followed by Louisville's Brian Brohm.

Woodson is lumped in with the next group of quarterbacks with Michigan's Chad Henne and Delaware's Joe Flacco. Woodson says he can get himself back in the first round in the coming weeks.

'Hearing your name get bashed day in and day out for no reason is tough, but you've just got to stay hungry,' Woodson said. 'Everyone who's doubting me, I'm just going to go out there and prove them wrong and do what I have to do to be successful.'

Woodson will conduct an individual workout with the Atlanta Falcons next week and will work out for several other teams before the draft.

One of the biggest criticisms of Woodson has been his release, which some have said is slow and contains a hitch. Woodson's motion looked smooth Wednesday, and he said the only change he's made recently is to hold the ball a little lower when he drops back to pass.

'My mechanics haven't changed, but lowering the ball when I'm holding it keeps me from lowering it on my release, and the ball goes a little higher and faster,' he said.

UK Coach Rich Brooks said the criticism is just a part of the process.

'It's almost like running for president,' he said. 'Nobody's perfect. They're going to find every flaw or perceived flaw and tear you apart when you're at the level of Andre Woodson.

'But Andre has a two-year library of film that, if anybody wants to put it on, they'll see that this guy played as well as anybody in the country. There's no question Andre Woodson will be a starting quarterback in the NFL, and whoever doesn't get him is going to miss out in my opinion.'

Burton, Tamme and Wesley Woodyard elected not to run after running at the NFL Combine last weekend. Johnson, who caught 60 passes for 1,041 yards and 13 touchdowns, ran a 4.46 40-yard dash.

Running back Rafael Little had surgery on Monday after suffering a knee injury in the Senior Bowl and was not present at Pro Day.

UK's underclassmen were also timed in the 40. Derrick Locke ran a blazing 4.21, and Alfonso Smith wasn't far behind at 4.24.

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