INDIANAPOLIS — Former Irish wide receiver Will Fuller knows there’s no doubt which issue is most important to his draft stock while at the NFL Combine — his hands.

The Philadelphia native is set on proving to NFL scouts and executives that the area will not be a weakness once he reaches the professional ranks.

“You have to be real comfortable, especially transition from college to the pros,” he said. “There’s going to be a [defensive back] on my back probably 95 percent of the time, so just like I said, moving through the catch a lot. Not letting it eat me up, keep staying on the run while catching the pass. All these things will help me out at the next level.”

In his sophomore and junior seasons, Fuller caught 138 passes for 2,352 yards and 29 touchdowns as Notre Dame’s go-to receiving threat. Oftentimes, however, a Fuller drop would cost the Irish.

“It keeps your defender from cutting that separation down,” Fuller said of running through the catch. “You see a lot of times if a receiver stops running through the catch, if you had a cushion from the defender, that cushion is gone. It’s a lot easier to catch a pass if you have a little cushion than if the DB is draped all over your back.”

Fuller said he had made up his mind to leave school after his junior season prior to the Jan. 1 Fiesta Bowl and admitted a mistake when publicly announcing his intention to return for his senior season to reporters in November.

“The media really got me that day,” Fuller said. “I had no idea that was going to be the question asked that day. I just felt like saying the right thing and not the wrong thing. That day I thought I said the right thing and I went back to my phone and it was out in the world. It made my decision a lot more tough. I thought I made the right decision.”

Fuller said the injury toll Notre Dame suffered in 2015 influenced his decision to enter the draft.

“Just looking at the year we had,” he said. “A lot of injuries. I’ve had a healthy career, and I just want to get out of there while I was healthy. Still put up some good numbers this year, so I think I left at a good time, healthy and no injuries.”

He also received advice from former Heisman Trophy winner Tim Brown and current Detroit Lions wide receiver TJ Jones.

“[TJ] told me to make your own decision, don’t let other people influence you,” he said. “That’s one of the big things I’ve heard a lot is to make sure it was your decision. Take all the information you could, so I got all the information I could. I talked to my family, coaches, support staff at Notre Dame. Leaving was the best decision for me.”

Fuller is expected to produce one of the top results in the 40-yard dash when he competes Saturday.

“I’m shooting for a mid-4.3,” he said. “4.35 would be real good for me. That’s what I’m shooting for.

Fuller and former Irish teammate Chris Brown will finally get to see which player is faster in that competition.

“We had that going on for quite a while at Notre Dame, so we finally got the chance to run the 40 and have some fun with it,” he said. “We’ll see.”