Every year the top prospects leave behind the comforts of college and head to workout sites in Chicago, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, New York, Houston and Florida to look for an edge that might put them in a better draft position.

Some hire basketball coaches. Others hire personal trainers. A few hire former Navy SEALs.

The techniques from gym to gym may differ, but the goal is the same: to fulfill a lifelong dream of playing in the NBA.

For the past decade I've taken a pre-draft tour to the top sites. I've seen the likes of Dwight Howard, Dwyane Wade, Greg Oden, Blake Griffin and a host of other lesser-known prospects prepare for the NBA draft.

This year is no different. Starting Monday, and over the course of the next three weeks, I'll be traveling throughout the U.S. checking in on the pre-draft workouts of the top prospects in the draft.

Players have gotten off to a later start than usual this year thanks to the fact that the NBA has pushed back both the draft lottery and Chicago pre-draft camp several weeks.

But by now, virtually every draft prospect in the country is in full workout mode as NBA teams begin to bring in prospects for individual workouts. Second-round prospects will hit New Jersey this weekend for a major workout in front of all 30 teams, and after that they'll begin leaving for individual team workouts. Most of the elite prospects in the draft won't begin team workouts until after the Chicago camp.

Who can help and hurt themselves the most in the individual workout setting? I spoke with a number of GMs to try to identify who could possibly be workout warriors and who may struggle in their final examinations as a NBA prospect.