Won the 2005 Mackey Award, given to the top tight end in the major college ranks. Lewis has excellent size and quickness for the position. The former basketball player emerged as a clutch pass catcher during his senior year, demonstrating the ability to turn a short catch into a big gainer.

Lewis was regarded as the best prep player in the West and the premier tight end in the nation coming out of Long Beach Poly High School. He was also heavily recruited in basketball, where he ranked among California's top high school rebounders. On the football field, he played quarterback as a prep freshman and moved to tight end with the varsity team his last three seasons.

Lewis earned Parade All-American, Super Prep Elite 50 (No. 4), Super Prep All-American, Prep Star Dream Team (rated the best tight end in the nation) honors and was a member of Student Sports Hot 100 (No. 30) list. The first-team All-CIF Southern Section choice was also the CIF-Southern Section Division I co-Offensive Player of the Year. He caught 44 passes for 710 yards and 11 touchdowns for the CIF Division I champions, and recorded seven sacks as a defensive end as a senior.

Lewis had 22 receptions for 313 yards and four touchdowns as a junior. On the basketball court, he earned three varsity letters as a power forward. As a senior, he was named second-team All-CIF and was selected to the Long Beach Press-Telegram "Dream Team." He was also a member of the Press-Telegram basketball "Dream Team" as a junior, averaging over 19 points and 11 rebounds per game that season.

Lewis played in twelve games as a reserve for UCLA in 2002, catching six passes for 51 yards and a score. He followed that with a breakout season in 2003, ranking second on the team with 30 receptions for 377 yards and three touchdowns. He continued to excel as a junior, hauling in 32 passes for 402 yards (12.7 avg) and seven scores.

The unanimous All-American and All-Pac 10 Conference choice was the only finalist for the 2004 John Mackey Award (nation's top tight end) returning to college for the 2005 season. He led the team and ranked second in the nation among tight ends with an average of 4.83 catches per game. He had 54 receptions for 741 yards (12.8 avg) and ten touchdowns in his final campaign. His 58 catches rank tied for second on the school's single-season record list and his ten touchdown receptions rank third.

In 49 games with the Bruins, Lewis started 32 times. He ranks ninth on the school's overall career-record list and first among tight ends with 126 receptions, holding the UCLA tight end all-time records with 1,571 yards receiving and 21 touchdowns. He also recorded five tackles (4 solos).

Positives: Has excellent size, height and adequate quickness for the position, showing the long arms and leaping ability to get to the pass at its high point … Builds to top speed quickly and uses his hands effectively to escape press coverage … Provides the quarterback with a big target underneath when he runs at a proper pad level … Gets into his route quickly and has the speed to get down the seam and catch the ball easily over his shoulders … Has a team-first attitude and really dedicated himself to improving as a pass catcher in 2005 … He does a much better job of extending and plucking the ball away from the body's frame than he did in the past … Maintains relationship with the ball in flight and has the cut-back ability to get to the poorly thrown ball … Became more assertive as a route runner as a senior, but still needs to show better open field cutting ability.

Negatives: While he is making steady progress understanding zone concepts, he still lacks the instincts and feel for blocking schemes … Marginal blocker who needs to show more toughness and aggression when facing up … Takes poor angles trying to attack linebackers in the second level, lacking the strength to be even an adequate mauler … For a player of his size, he does not attack defenders, square his shoulders and drive through arm tackles, preferring to elude after the catch … Has a decent work ethic, but little regard for classroom work … Big target over the middle, but lacks the loose hips to readily adjust and separate after the catch (looks too mechanical) … Does not display the body control or fluidity to run crisp routes (rounds cuts and gathers too often).

Lewis possesses great size and speed for the tight end position and has the potential to develop into a dominating player, but needs to work on his flexibility, as he tends to look too mechanical running routes. He has the ability to line up as a wide receiver to take advantage of his height and is a big target on underneath routes. He is still a work in progress, as he originally came to UCLA for basketball before concentrating on football, but made great strides as a pass catcher during the 2005 season.

Lewis knows how to use his excellent height and leaping ability to track the ball in flight and make every effort to get to the pass at its high point. He runs with a normal stride and builds quickly to top speed, but needs to show more urgency getting into his patterns. In 2005, Lewis was much more effective at using his hands to defeat the press and escape the jam. He also showed much better concentration when extending to pluck the ball away from the body's frame.

He needs to add some more strength though, as he sometimes will fight to get a release, but makes a good effort going after the ball on the sidelines. He is not a physical blocker who consistently explodes into his hits when working in-line. Lewis is just too inconsistent in attempts to take proper angles in order to gain position on the defender, especially when asked to use his speed and size to stalk and neutralize linebackers at the second level.

Despite having good success catching the ball the last two years, Lewis will still round his cuts and gather before breaking, making him look choppy bringing his feet in attempts to get into his routes. He does provide good value as a big target underneath, but needs to do a better job of adjusting his body to get to the off-target throws. He doesn't lack courage, but you have to question his desire to get to the ball in a crowd, as he tends to shy away from contact whenever he can.

Lewis is best when asked to flex out and get open in the deep passing game. His initial quickness and sustained speed, along with a normal stride, allows him to beat the defenders on outs, curls and crossing patterns. Lewis has made good improvement concentrating on the ball, but is still prone to dropping some easy tosses due to mental lapses. He is just not instinctive running his routes yet, but he has the speed to compensate.

Lewis' lack of blocking ability is largely due to marginal strength and a lack of physicality when engaging. He will make an effort, but is not explosive on initial contact and struggles quite a bit to control and finish when working in-line. He is marginal at stalking linebackers in the second level and needs to do a better job of taking proper angles working in space.

Lewis can generate the acceleration needed to get down the seam, but is not really fluid on the move. For a player of his size, he spends too much time trying to elude the defender after the catch rather than square his shoulders and drive through arm tackles. He is more of a pass catcher with good awareness of the sticks.

Even if he develops more strength, he needs to play at a better pad level in order to generate leg drive to break arm tackles. A productive senior season as a pass catcher has allowed him to hide his liabilities as a blocker, but I am very cautious at being convinced he has enough instincts, strength and flexibility to rate being a first-round draft pick.

Holds the school career-records for tight ends with 126 receptions for 1,571 yards and 21 touchdowns, topping the old marks of 85 catches for 1,075 yards by Paul Bergman (1982-83) and ten touchdowns by Tim Wrightman (1978-81) … His 126 catches rank ninth overall in school history … His 21 touchdown receptions are surpassed only by J.J. Stokes (28, 1991-94) on UCLA's all-time record chart … His 58 receptions as a senior tied Danny Farmer (1998) for second on the school's single-season record list behind Freddie Mitchell (77, 2000) … His ten touchdown catches in 2005 are topped only by Stokes (17 in 1993) and Sean LaChapelle (11 in 1991) among Bruin receivers on the school single-season record list.

Unanimous All-American and All-Pac 10 Conference selection … Recipient of the Mackey Award, given to the top tight end in the nation … Started every game, leading the team with a career-high 58 receptions for 741 yards (12.8 avg) and ten touchdowns … His average of 61.75 yards per game receiving ranked fourth among the nation's tight ends behind Garrett Mills of Tulsa (98.58 avg), Vernon Davis of Maryland (79.18 avg) and Jonny Harline of Brigham Young (70.91 avg) … His average of 4.83 receptions per game is surpassed only by Mills (6.92) among NCAA Division 1-A tight ends … His 741 yards receiving set a school single-season record for tight ends, topping the old mark of 631 yards by Mike Seidman in 2002 … Of the 88 passes targeted to Lewis, 36 resulted in first downs, including converting eleven third-down plays … Ten of his grabs were good for 20 yards or longer … Was also penalized four times.

San Diego State … Opened the season with seven receptions for 131 yards, with four of those grabs good for first downs, but also fumbled once … His 40-yard catch in the first quarter was the longest reception of his career … Caught a third-and-4 pass from QB Drew Olson for a 22-yard gain and followed eight plays later with a 14-yard grab, but fumbled that ball when tackled by free safety Reggie Grigsby, as Lewis then recovered his own miscue late in the first quarter … Had a 31-yard catch in the third quarter that set up a 1-yard scoring run by Chris Markey to cap an 8-play, 74-yard drive.

Rice … Assisted on a tackle and gained 27 yards on two catches … Assisted Christian Taylor in stopping Brandon King on a 19-yard kickoff return in the second quarter.

Oklahoma … Totaled 61 yards on five catches with a 19-yard score … Two of his grabs were good for first downs … Caught a third-and-1 seam pass from QB Drew Olson for a 19-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter to finish an 83-yard, 14-play drive.

Washington … Snared eight passes for 77 yards and a touchdown, with four of his grabs resulting in first downs … His 4-yard touchdown catch in the third quarter was the 85th reception of his career, tying Paul Bergmann's school record for career receptions by a UCLA tight end … He broke the record later in the quarter with an eight-yard reception … Was penalized for a false start in the fourth quarter.

California … Held to only a 6-yard catch, as he allowed a quarterback sack, a stop behind the line of scrimmage and was also penalized once for holding in the third quarter (on the next play, Lewis allowed defensive end Phillip Mbakogu to sack Drew Olson for an 8-yard loss).

Washington State … Grabbed five passes, with four good for first downs, amassing 66 yards and a pair of scores … Grabbed a second-and-goal pass from Drew Olson for a 4-yard touchdown that capped a 14-play, 80-yard drive with 0:26 left in the first half … Added a 9-yard scoring catch at the start of the fourth quarter to conclude a 4-play, 80-yard drive, but with 4:52 left to play, Lewis saw defensive end Matt Mullennix slip past the tight end to sack Olson for a 1-yard loss.

Oregon State … Followed with six receptions for 65 yards and two touchdowns … Five of his catches resulted in first downs … Caught a third-and-2 pass from Drew Olson for a 2-yard score with 3:25 left before halftime … Opened the third quarter with a second-and-goal grab for a 3-yard touchdown.

Stanford … Held to 39 yards on three catches with two first-down grabs, but was also penalized for pass interference during a late fourth quarter drive … The Bruins got the ball again at their 34 with 2:30 to play, and Lewis made a big third-down catch for a 20-yard gain to preserve the drive. Stanford committed consecutive pass-interference penalties, and Olson hit receiver Joe Cowan inside the 2 on a fourth-down play to set up tailback Maurice Drew's game-winning 1-yard touchdown run.

Arizona … The Bruins finally got moving with a no-huddle offense, as Lewis caught a career-high eleven passes for 131 yards and two touchdowns … Seven of his catches were good for first downs, with three helping convert third-down plays … Only J.J. Stokes (14 vs. Wisconsin in the 1994 Rose Bowl) had more receptions in a game for the Bruins … QB Drew Olson threw a 10-yard scoring pass to Lewis with 2:31 left in the first half … Had a 16-yard touchdown reception with 6:07 remaining in the game to cap a 91-yard, 10-play drive.

Arizona State … Gained 108 yards with two touchdowns on seven catches, as five of those grabs resulted in first downs … Made a leaping catch of a third-and-goal pass from QB Drew Olson for a 6-yard score in the first quarter … Added a 26-yarder on a third-and-4 toss from Olson to set up a 7-yard touchdown pass to Brandon Breazell to conclude a 9-play, 82-yard drive in the third quarter … On the Bruins' next drive, Lewis came up with a 13-yard scoring catch.

Southern California … Closed out the regular season with 30 yards on three catches, missing an opportunity to catch eight other balls thrown his way (drops, pass break-ups) … Also had a hard time blocking, allowing two sacks and a tackle behind the line of scrimmage.

Northwestern (Sun Bowl) … Lewis' season ended on a sour note, as he did not catch any of the three passes thrown to him … He did score on a two-point conversion toss after a 6-yard touchdown run by Khalil Bell in the second quarter.

All-Pac 10 Conference second-team selection by the league's coaches … One of three finalists for the John Mackey Award, presented annually to the nation's top tight end … Led the team with seven receiving touchdowns, ranking third on the squad with 32 catches for 402 yards (12.6 avg) … 25 of his 32 grabs resulted in first downs … Added three solo tackles on special teams … Saw limited action vs. Oregon and missed the second half of the Washington State game with a bruised tailbone.

Oklahoma State … Opened the season with 23 yards on two receptions … Both of his grabs came on third down and both moved the chains, one on UCLA's first touchdown drive and one on the field goal drive at the end of the half.

Illinois … Added four catches for 62 yards and a touchdown … Made a 23-yard catch and run on UCLA's first play from scrimmage and a 16-yard reception on the Bruins' first series of the second half, both drives that ended in touchdowns … Added a 15-yard scoring catch in the fourth quarter on which his second effort moved the ball into the end zone … On the day, he produced three first downs.

Washington … Limited to 21 yards on two catches, but made a key 19-yard reception on the Bruins' field goal drive that gave them a 37-31 lead.

San Diego State … Followed with a 9-yard reception.

Arizona … Had a breakout game with six receptions for 99 yards and three touchdowns, tying his career high for catches (since broken vs. Arizona in 2005) and setting career- bests for yardage (since broken vs. Arizona in 2005) and touchdowns … His touchdowns measured 16, 12 and 18 yards and he also had catches of 23 and 21 yards on scoring drives … Dating back to 1965, his three touchdown receptions are the most by a Bruin tight end in a game … All six catches produced first downs … On the first touchdown (16 yards on third down), he tipped it, was hit, but stayed focused to re-grab the ball for the score … On his second touchdown (12 yards), he made the catch, bounced off a would-be tackler, regained his balance and forced his way into the end zone for a 23-3 lead … His third scoring catch was on a 18-yard strike from QB Drew Olson down the middle, again on third down … He also made a reception with a defender draped all over him and another on which he leaped high in the air for the catch … For his efforts, he was named the Mackey Committee National Tight End of the Week.

California … Followed with four catches for 22 yards and UCLA's first touchdown, a 15-yard strike from Drew Olson … Also had two first downs.

Arizona State … Caught four passes for 44 yards and a 3-yard score, a one-handed grab in the back right corner of the end zone … His other three receptions resulted in first downs.

Stanford … Only had a reception for 26 yards and a first down on UCLA's first touchdown drive.

Washington State … Snared two passes for 26 yards and a pair of first downs, but on his second catch, good for 19 yards with over 8:30 left in the first half, he suffered a bruised tailbone and was unable to return to the game.

Oregon State … Played limited snaps and did not make a reception.

Southern California … Totaled 29 yards on four catches, including a 4-yard touchdown grab with 2:20 remaining, which brought the Bruins to within five points (29-24).

Wyoming Las Vegas Bowl) … Made two receptions for 41 yards and two first downs.

Played in every game, starting eight contests … Participated in at least 40 snaps on five occasions, including 74 at Stanford, 66 vs. San Diego State and 64 vs. Washington … Was the team's second-leading receiver with 30 catches for 377 yards (12.6 avg) and three touchdowns … Also recorded a solo tackle.

Colorado … Opened the season with 96 yards on six receptions and made a 13-yard touch-down catch which put the Bruins ahead late in the third quarter … Had a 38-yard catch on third-and-30 to set up his scoring grab.

California … Snared four passes for 67 yards and 31-yard scoring grab coming off the bench … All of his receptions produced first downs and two came on crucial third-down situations.

Arizona State … Started in a double tight end formation and had one reception for 16 yards which helped to set up a Bruin touchdown.

Stanford … Came off the bench to snare four catches for 36 yards.

Washington … Followed with another four receptions for 40 yards.

Southern California … Started in a two-tight end formation at USC and made one catch for a 17-yard touchdown.

Fresno State (Silicon Valley Football Classic) … Registered 13 yards on a pair of catches.

Played in twelve games, starting twice as a true freshman … Finished with six receptions for 51 yards (8.5 avg) and a touchdown … Gained one yard on two kickoff returns … Also served as a member of the kickoff return and field goal units on special teams during the season … Had one catch vs. Oklahoma State for 2 yards … Made one grab in the Colorado game for 8 yards … Added one catch for 3 yards at San Diego State … Registered an 8-yard reception on a fake field goal in the Oregon game … Caught a 14-yard touchdown pass vs. Southern California … Had a 16-yard grab in the Washington State contest.

2004: Sat out the second half of the Washington State game (121/06) and saw limited action the following week vs. Oregon due to a bruised tailbone.

Campus: 4.79 seconds in the 40-yard dash … 345-pound bench press … 440-pound squat … 34.5-inch vertical jump … 32 -inch arm length … 9 7/8-inch hands.

Attended Poly (Long Beach, Cal.) High School … Regarded as the best prep player in the West and the premier tight end in the nation … Was also heavily recruited in basketball and ranked among California's top high school rebounders … On the football field, he played quarterback as a prep freshman and moved to tight end with the varsity team his last three seasons … Earned Parade All-American, Super Prep Elite 50 (No. 4), Super Prep All-American, Prep Star Dream Team (rated the best tight end in the nation) honors and was a member of Student Sports Hot 100 (No. 30) list … First-team All-CIF Southern Section choice and CIF-Southern Section Division I co-Offensive Player of the Year … Caught 44 passes for 710 yards and 11 touchdowns for the CIF Division I champions, and recorded seven sacks as a defensive end his senior season … Had 22 receptions for 313 yards and four touchdowns as a junior … On the basketball court, he earned three varsity letters as a power forward … As a senior, he was named second-team All-CIF and to the Long Beach Press-Telegram "Dream Team." … Also a member of the Press-Telegram basketball "Dream Team" as a junior, averaging over 19 points and 11 rebounds per game.

Sociology major … One of four children (brothers, Ashley and Cody, and sister, Nikia) of Yvonne and Michael Withers … Born Marcedes Alexis Lewis on 5/19/84 in Los Alamitos, California … Resides in Long Beach, California.