What's the NFL off-season without the annual combine? NFL-bound athletes try their best to strut their stuff for prospective teams and fans. A successful showing at the combine could boost a pro-hopeful's draft-spot (and salary), while a poor showing could drop them off the map altogether. Update! breaks down the top performers at this year's combine:

Comment: He suffered, arguably, one of the worst combine performances ever. During a drill on Sunday, he blew out his left knee and had to be carted off the field. Rumors are swirling that this could be a career-ender.

Comment: He ran a 4.67 40-yard dash. I know I have stressed the importance (or lack thereof) of the dash, but that's unacceptable for a big-time running back. Maybe he was hurting, maybe he let his training slip after the season was through, or maybe he had bad memories of Appalachian State coming into the Big House and embarrassing the Wolverines. Whatever the case may be, Hart has got to show more heart.

Comment: He had a good combine and seems to have cemented his place as the third play-caller to be selected come April. The only quarterbacks that probably will go ahead of him are Matt Ryan and Brian Brohm. Henne still looks like a higher pick than Joe Flacco and Andre Woodson.

Comment: This guy ran a 4.24 40-yard dash. As I said before, that doesn't make a guy a great football player. Let's go over some previous 40-yard dash heroes, shall we? In 1999, Morgan State's Jay Hinton busted out a 4.29 in the 40. He never saw a down in his NFL career. One more to drive my point home: Kansas State's Aaron Lockett ran a 4.31 in 2002, he fell to the seventh round and was never officially on a practice league roster.

Comment: He's been compared to Michael Vick (minus the criminal record) and Vince Young. He had the best 40-yard dash time (4.55) of any quarterback at the combine and he's the best kept secret in the upcoming draft. This guy has helped his own cause with his impressive workouts, and scouts have sworn he's the next big thing. Look for Johnson to be an impact player with the chip he's carrying.

Comment: He had the best 40-yard dash time (4.55) of any tight end, and was among the top in many other categories. He earned MVP of the Boilermakers during his senior season, a feat no tight end has accomplished at Purdue since 1979. This guy could be the next big thing in the world of blocking and catching passes in the NFL.

Comment: I didn't think another player could have a worse 40-time than Hart, until I saw Manningham. He ran a pathetic 4.68. Not only did he botch his workouts, legend has it that he messed up on the interviews as well. Far be it from me to cast judgment on these young athletes, but come on. The combine is the most important part of a young footballers life (whether it's an accurate measurement for talent is another story). You have to go in and leave it all on the field. Apparently, some did just that.

Comment: Run-DMC ran a 4.33 40-yard dash at the combine. Scouts love guys who can run a fast 40, however, it does not tell the whole story. In 1999, Rondel Melendez, out of Eastern Kentucky, ran a 4.24 40. Melendez went on to never play a single down in the NFL. McFadden's 40-time pushed him into a top draft spot, but only time will tell if he pans out as a bona fide stud.