Bush outdid his former teammates in three areas, clocking 4.33 seconds in the 40, recording a 40½-inch vertical jump, and going 10 feet, 8½ inches in the standing broad jump. He had 24 repetitions bench-pressing 225 pounds.

“I would have liked to have run a little faster — I thought I could push a 4.29 out there, a 4.3-flat,” he said. “This part of it is just trying to separate yourselves from the pack.”

Bush, a runaway winner of the Heisman last season, has already done that.

“There’s a lot of guys who are fast,” said Baltimore Ravens assistant Mark Carrier, a defensive back at USC from 1986-89. “What makes him special is what he does when he has the ball in his hands. The guy up the street might run 4.2. But there aren’t many guys who can do what he can do with the football.”

It’s been anticipated for months that Bush will go No. 1 in the April 29-30 draft to the Houston Texans. He said he met Saturday night with representatives of the Texans.

“It wasn’t anything serious,” he said, adding a similar meeting was planned Sunday night with the Tennessee Titans.

Leinart threw around 45 passes and was on-target with almost all of them. Afterward, he spoke of showing his athleticism, ability to throw on the run, and arm strength.

He had a vertical jump of 37 inches, but didn’t run the 40.

“They know I’m not a running quarterback — the 40-yard dash for me is pointless,” he said.

Steinberg, who has represented eight overall No. 1 selections in the draft, said he wouldn’t be surprised if Leinart winds up No. 1.

“This day explodes the myth of heady quarterback with intangibles, cements Matt’s status as the franchise quarterback pick at the top of the draft,” Steinberg said.

Two potential first-round picks might be heading in opposite directions. Offensive tackle Winston Justice, who weighed in at 320 pounds, had a vertical jump of 39 inches and did 38 repetitions bench-pressing 225 pounds.

“It was like there was air in the bar, no iron,” Fassel said, shaking his head.

Running back LenDale White didn’t run the 40 because of a sore hamstring, and did 15 reps in the bench-press — only one more than punter Tom Malone. Plus, he weighed in at 244 pounds, which is probably more than what NFL teams want.

“I was surprised,” Bush said regarding the fact that White didn’t run the 40. “He said he was hurt.”

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