I ran into Mike Hart in the airport Sunday night on my way home from the NFL scouting combine. Hart, you'll recall, ran a disappointing 40-yard dash (an unofficial 4.67 seconds was his best) in testing Sunday in Indianapolis. He said he wasn't too concerned about his times. He hoped to break 4.6, but it's not like teams viewed him as a game-breaking back and he'll be fine once he gets in an NFL camp.

After talking with one scout and one running backs coach, I agree. Hart probably lost a little bit of money with his showing (money he can make back with a good pro day next month), but it's not like he's going to drop two rounds. The position coach reminded me that at the end of the day teams go back and watch college game film, where Hart's body of work in four years at Michigan is impressive. The scout said Hart remains the type of tough, character back teams will covet on draft day.

Hart wasn't a first-rounder to begin with and he won't go ahead of East Carolina's Chris Johnson, who moved atop the second tier of running backs with an eye-popping and official 4.24-second 40. Still, he probably warrants a pick in the third round.

As for the two receivers I touched on in my notebook in Monday's paper, expect Michigan State's Devin Thomas to continue shooting up draft boards. He ranked among the top six wideouts in the 40 (an official 4.4 seconds) and broad jump (10-6), had the best times of any receiver in his 10- and 20-yard sprint splits, and will no doubt catch well on pro day in a familiar environment. Because of his return ability, he could sneak into the end of the first round.

Michigan's Mario Manningham, on the other hand, had a disappointing combine. He measured just 5-foot-11, weighed 181 pounds and doesn't have the speed (an unofficial 4.59-second 40) to be a game-breaker. It wouldn't surprise me now if Manningham, whose work ethic probably won't receive the most glowing reviews from Michigan, goes after Thomas.