There's no need to inquire about Marcus Hamilton's performance at the NFL Scouting Combine. It's a short story:

Didn't go. Wasn't asked.

Hamilton led the ACC in interceptions in 2005 and finished third in 2006, but never was picked higher than second-team All-ACC.

When invitations were sent out for postseason all-star games, Hamilton was asked to play in the Texas vs. The Nation Game in El Paso, Texas, but was bypassed for the better-known Senior Bowl and East-West Shrine Game.

Good thing they let the cornerback participate in Virginia's pro timing day.

Maybe there had been questions about Hamilton's speed. If so, he feels he answered them. After working with a trainer in Florida, Hamilton had 40-yard clockings of 4.47 and 4.48 seconds at UVa.

He doesn't know if that was an improvement or not.

"We don't run 40s here," said Hamilton, a December 2005 UVa graduate.

Running back Jason Snelling was the only UVa player who was invited to the combine in Indianapolis, but Hamilton and fellow Cavaliers defensive back Tony Franklin have started to show up on some draft lists.

Remarkably, Virginia has had at least one player selected in every draft since 1984, a 23-year streak that could end Sunday.

Snelling is listed as a potential seventh-round pick by Todd McShay of ESPN. He is the only Cavalier on McShay's board.

Going into the seventh game of his redshirt sophomore season, Hamilton had one interception.

He had 14 interceptions in his next 29 games and is tied for third with Ronde Barber on UVa's all-time interception list.

Apparently, no one noticed Hamilton while studying Georgia Tech's Calvin Johnson, a likely top-five pick. Johnson beat Hamilton for a touchdown this past season, but Hamilton owned him in two previous meetings.

All Hamilton knows about the NFL Scouting Combine is that it's by invitation only.

"I was a little shocked," Hamilton said, "but, it's not the end-all, be-all. People have been successful in the past without having gone to the combine.

"I use a lot of different things for motivation. Once I got through the initial period of knowing [the combine] wasn't going to happen, it wasn't that big a deal.

"You have something to prove every day."

In south Florida, Hamilton worked under Pete Bommarito at Perfect Competition, a training program used by Byron Leftwich, Maurice Jones-Drew and a host of other NFL players. In addition to his 40 times, Hamilton went more than 10 feet in the standing broad jump and had a 36-inch vertical leap.

He is represented by Washington, D.C., lawyer Adisa Barkari, chosen after interviews with Hamilton and his father, who coaches at Centreville High School in Fairfax County.

"Nobody knows for sure what's going to happen," said Hamilton, whose conversations with NFL personnel have led him to believe there is legitimate interest.

Although he is confident that his name will be called, Hamilton probably won't hear it.

"I don't know if I'm going to watch or not," he said, "but I'll have my phone on. They'll be able to find me."