Paul Hubbard is a former track standout who once was one of the top high school triple jumpers in the nation.

So, something seemed out of whack when the former University of Wisconsin wide receiver had a vertical jump of 29� inches last month at the scouting combine in Indianapolis.

It was part of a lousy weekend for Hubbard, who may have dropped out of the NFL draft with his performance. He was timed by at least one team in 4.58 seconds in the 40-yard dash and, worse still, dropped several passes.

So, when Hubbard put up much better numbers on Wednesday at UW's pro timing day inside the McClain Center — one clock had him at 4.38 in the 40 and he had a 39�-inch vertical — it caused at least one of the assembled scouts and coaches to do a double-take.

"The Saints guy came up and said, 'Wait a minute, why did you have such a tremendous (improvement)?' " Hubbard said.

At the combine, Hubbard explained, his group of receivers did the jumping after catching passes. They included deep routes and a couple "gauntlets" in which receivers sprint across the field and have several hard passes thrown from close range.

"I jumped terrible, everyone jumped terrible," Hubbard said. "The next receiver group got to jump before they ran routes, so they did better."

As well as Hubbard tested this time, it still was not as important as how he caught the ball.

"I talked to the Bears wide receivers coach beforehand, he said, 'You tested well, I knew that was going to happen. I just want to see you catch the ball,' '' Hubbard said.

Hubbard was feeling even better after the receiver drills. He had about 10 passes thrown to him and dropped one, which was slightly behind him, although he also bobbled a couple.

He credited the better performance to feeling more relaxed, having former UW quarterback Tyler Donovan throwing passes to him in a familiar environment.

Whether it's enough to vault Hubbard back onto draft boards remains to be seen.

"The whole situation right now is just really stressful at times," Hubbard said. "That's the thing, you don't know what's going to happen.

"Of course, I think I can get drafted. The question is, do they think they can draft me?"

Another former Badgers receiver, Luke Swan, would be elated just to get in an NFL training camp.

Swan continued his comeback from a torn hamstring by getting tested in three areas, vertical jump, pro agility and three-cone.

Swan hopes to have a full workout for scouts on March 31.

He said the doctor told him he should be ready for NFL offseason workouts and training camp.

"That's what we're trying to get out, that I will be healthy for that," he said. "That was a lot of the reason I came out (Wednesday), to show I wasn't hiding or anything, that I was making progress, that I will be ready."

Swan's best time in the pro agility, which is a 20-yard shuttle, was 3.98. He previously has run as fast as 3.85, an indication of his exceptional side-to-side quickness.

"It tells me I've got some room for improvement, definitely," Swan said. "My leg strength is the biggest thing. It's not there yet. I'll be able to improve over the next month, which is a great thing."

Given a small number of draft-eligible players from UW, the workout did not attract as many scouts as usual.

Ten former UW players took part.

Former defensive tackle Nick Hayden is likely to be the first one drafted.

After a good combine performance, Hayden only took part in the broad and vertical jumps and three-cone drill. He said he improved his performances in all three.

"Wherever will be fine with me," Hayden said of a projected draft round. "I'm just trying to make it and get to the next level."