The annual dance of the college football player is underway, better known as the NFL Scouting Combine. It’s the time of year when everyone is a prospect and arbitrary analysis turns into solid numbers.

Sure, the combine doesn’t mean everything — just ask Mike Mamula. As a solid college player (17 sacks in 1994), he became the ultimate mythical “workout warrior” at the 1995 combine. Perhaps the legend of his bust-ness is overrated, as was the magnitude of his workouts getting him drafted so high, but nevertheless, the expectations of him were so high that no one could live up to them.

Perhaps also the Eagles overreached when they drafted the 3rd round prospect 7th overall, adding even more expectations to the kid. Factor in that the pick they used to get him was acquired for two draft picks from Tampa Bay that ended up being Warren Sapp and Derrick Brooks, and you have the stuff legends are made of.

Mike Mamula: The Ultimate NFL Combine Workout Warrior and Tale of Caution.

But there is far more to the combine than just sleepers and busts. This year, another 300 football players will be poked, prodded and worked out by the consortia known as BLESTO, the National, and a handful of unaffiliated teams scouts in order to quantify the skillsets that they all possess.

From there, some will be moved up the draft charts and some will plummet. A bad day with the Wonderlic test can cost a player millions of dollars. A good day running the 40-yard dash can turn a solid late-round prospect into a day one pick.

Every year there are players that stand out at the combine, and often they are not the ones we were already familiar with. Combine stars rarely turn into NFL stars, but occasionally they do — and that’s what we’re all looking for.

We all know that Michael Crabtree is a great football player. I doubt that the combine is going to tell us anything different. But what we don’t know is what a cat like Johnny Knox of Abilene Christian can do under similar circumstances. That’s what makes the combine fun to watch.

For those of us with cable or satellite companies that are willing to overspend for the NFL Network to make us happy, this is one of about three weeks a year that the NFL Network is worth having. Rather than watch a bunch of college basketball games that realistically aren’t all that meaningful (without money on them), pop open a brew and watch the combine for a few days. I know I will.

While it’s become commonplace for the top stars to skip the combine in recent years, there are quite a few big names among the 300 invitees this year.

Among them: Matthew Stafford, Mark Sanchez, Graham Harrell, Chase Daniel, Donald Brown, LeSean McCoy, Knowshon Moreno, Javon Ringer, Michael Crabtree, Jarrett Dillard, Percy Harvin, Jeremy Maclin, Andre Smith, Rey Maualuga, Vontae Davis, Malcolm Jenkins, Kevin Ellison, and 283 other aspiring NFL stars. Want to see the list?

Perhaps it’s the quality Under Armour swag that all of the invitees get that is bringing the names in. According to CNBC’s Darren Rovell, each player at the combine will receive:

• 1 Under Armour Combine Bag
• 3 UA Metal apparel pieces — short sleeve compression, sleeveless compression and short sleeve loose shirt. All are personalized with position and number on the front, with the last name on the back. (UA says the compression shirts have the lightest fabric weight of any shirt on the market at 3.5 ounces.)
• 1 Travel suit, personalized with number and position on jacket.
• 1 pair of customized combine shoes (weigh 8.5 ounces, designed for NFL combine with footing for lateral, linear and vertical drills).
• 1 pair of UA cleats
• 1 pair of UA slides (sandals)
• 1 pair of UA running shoes
• 1 pair of UA trainers
• 1 Fleece Crew top and bottom
• 1 pair of Metal Compression shorts
• 1 pair of Heat Gear Leggings
• 1 pair of Micro-shorts
• 1 pair of Combine short

If you’ve shopped for Under Armour, you know that that is not the cheapest set of gear in the world. All told, that’s about $900 worth of clothes and equipment for each player. That’s not bad for showing up to a tryout.

Over the years, many have claimed that the interviews and mental evaluations are the most important part of the combine. Of course, Vince Young’s score of a 7 on the Wonderlic didn’t stop him from being drafted too high, but when the talent isn’t at the top, an interview can kill you. On the other hand, when your talent is similar to someone else’s, and you nail the interview and testing, you may be looking at a higher draft slot.

The NFL combine is certainly not a guaranteed indicator of NFL success. Hell, it’s not even a decent indicator. But it is a solid indicator of NFL employment. Rarely will a player have a great combine and not get a shot in the NFL. And at this point in their careers, that’s all these kids can ask for.

To enjoy the weekend, here are some players to watch, courtesy of the USA Today, and here are the pertinent details for your viewing pleasure.

To follow the combine, you can watch it on the NFL Network or follow the top performances online.

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