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Draft hopefuls biding their time until their dreams materialize

Tom Petty said it best: The waiting is the hardest part.

For those players holding out hope for a professional football career, the time between the Scouting Combine and the NFL Draft is spent doing what they do best. Eating, working out, sleeping ... preparing for the Engineer in Training test, if you are Kentucky's Derek Abney.

The standout receiver/kick returner earned a civil engineering degree and is biding his time studying for the eight-hour test. "It comes in the middle of April," says Abney, "so it's been kind of difficult to prepare for it and not think about the draft."

However, after his pro day performance, Abney admits it's even more difficult not to think about the draft. "I didn't run as well as I wanted to," he says. "I'm really disappointed because I ran a 4.5, slower than I ran at the Combine." Still, Abney did improve on his vertical (35 inches) and broad (10 feet, 3 inches) jumps.

"I just hope that teams realize my foot injury really hampered me," Abney adds. "Playing in the SEC, you've got to be fast -- and I'm faster than 4.5."

Another draft prospect, Montana State cornerback Joey Thomas, suffered a strained abdomen and did not participate in the Bobcats' pro day workout.

"A few teams came out, but I was disappointed I didn't get to work out for the scouts," he says. "I'm always striving to get better, and I expect that out of myself. ... We've rescheduled [a workout], so we'll see how it goes."

The Browns and Texans will be on hand to see Thomas' drills April 9, a sign that despite the injury he remains a player whose intrigue is a plus.

Georgia Tech tackle Nat Dorsey, a 20-year-old junior who declared for the draft, says he remains excited to show what he can do for NFL teams, and came away from last month's Combine feeling that he capitalized on the chance to do just that.

"When it's football time, there's nothing I can't do," he boasts. "There is no reason I shouldn't be the second offensive lineman picked. I just feel there is nothing I can't do."

Ditto Purdue safety Stu Schweigert. "I just want to play," he says. "I'm not going to be picky -- turf, grass, it really doesn't matter to me." The fact he's a film junkie adept at breaking down opposing receivers' tendencies works in Stu's favor. In the meantime, he contends, "If a head coach or position coach wants to see me, I'm there."

Every player hopes to hear his name called during draft weekend, and given that there are only "X" number of picks in the draft, many players' weekend ends with disappointment. I don't think that will be the case with these four guys.

It's difficult to relate many of the stories these players tell when we're on the phone. But it's not hard to express the determination in each of their voices.

Joey is a spitfire who carries a chip on his shoulder from his time at Washington. Joey openly admits having Rick Neuheisel tell him he wasn't good enough to be a Husky was tough, but he didn't wallow; he signed at Montana State and is among the top cornerbacks available.

Stu measures his words carefully, much the same way he did opponents during his record-setting career with the Boilermakers. He doesn't make mention of the fact he's Purdue's all-time leader in interceptions (eclipsing Rod Woodson's mark), but he is confident that he can play on Sundays.

Nat is an intelligent, hard-on-himself lineman who cannot wait to make up for the slightest transgression. As agent Mark Heligman of SFX noted, "Nat is the kind of guy who wants to be great. If his team wins 52-3, he's kicking himself because of a second-quarter holding penalty."

Derek is a gamer, the guy you want on your team and not the other guy's. He's scrappy, tough, determined -- pick an adjective. And like the other three guys, confident he has the skills necessary to excel in the NFL.

Less than one month from the weekend that will change their lives, these four men have their heads squarely on their shoulders. Their agents -- Kevin Omell of National Sports Agency, Jeff Griffin of Momentum Sports Group as well as Heligman and Ben Dogra, the lead agent for SFX's rookies -- understand the value of getting their clients' names in front of the fans. The agents also know these are the types of players who can become role models.

It's easy to get lost inside the numbers -- 40 times, vertical leaps, shuttle times -- but what continues to strike me is that these players understand the enormous opportunity in front of them, yet never seem to waiver from the tasks at hand: improving their lot in football while preparing for the world outside the lines.

The waiting may be the hardest part, but clearly Joey, Stu, Nat and Derek have engineered their lives for success on and off the field. Ten years from now, it'll be nice to say, We knew them when ... and it not be part of a story about a kid gone wrong.

B. Duane Cross is a senior producer for SI.com.