Now that the college football season and its subsequent all-star games are over, it's once again time for the NFL Combine. Football really has become a never-ending cycle, something you won't find me complaining about.

There are three former BYU football players -- Max Hall (QB), Dennis Pitta (TE) and Manase Tonga (FB) -- who will attend this week's festivities in Indianapolis. Starting on Wednesday, they'll join about 300 other players to participate in a variety of tests -- both physical and psychological -- under the watchful eyes of scouts, coaches and general managers from each NFL team.

The basic drills include:

1. 40-yard dash: The players are timed at 10, 20 and 40-yard intervals and the scouts are looking for initial explosion and overall speed.

2. Bench press: The weight is set at 225 pounds, and the players will do as many repetitions as they can. The scouts are looking for endurance and players who maintained a steady presence and work ethic in the college weight room. Former Cougar Travis Bright did 34 reps (second most among offensive linemen) during his Combine workout in 2007.

3. Vertical jump: The player will stand flat-footed then jump straight up to test his vertical leaping ability. This drill measures lower-body explosion and power.

4. Broad jump: The player will start with a balanced stance then explode forward through the air as far as possible while attempting to stick the landing. This also measures lower-body strength.

5. Three-cone drill: This drill measures an athlete's agility and ability to change directions at a high speed. This will be an important drill for Pitta and Tonga.

6. Shuttle runs: The 20-yard shuttle tests the athlete's lateral quickness and explosion in short areas. Also known as the 5-10-5, the player starts out in a three-point stance, explodes five yards to his right -- touching the line before going back 10 yards to his left -- touching the line, and ultimately finishing with a final burst of five yards. There is also a 60-yard version of this drill, which is basically the same test at a longer distance that also tests the stamina of the players.

Each player will also undergo a medical examination and will be available for individual interviews with interested teams.

Other players from MWC schools who will be at the combine this week include:

Colorado State -- Cole Pemberton (OT), Shelley Smith (OG)

TCU -- Clint Gresham (S), Jerry Hughes (DE), Marshall Newhouse (OT), Daryl Washington (LB)

UNLV -- Joe Hawley (OG), Ryan Wolfe (WR)

Utah -- Matt Asiata (RB), Zane Beadles (OT), Nawa'akoa Koa Misi (DE), David Reed (WR), Steven Sylvester (OLB)

On March 10th BYU will hold its own "Pro Day" workouts, where other seniors like Jan Jorgensen, Andrew George and Coleby Clawson (among others) will have a chance to work out for NFL scouts.