VIDEO: Saints draft FAU DE Hendrickson in 3rd Rd.
UPDATE: Defensive tackle Shalom Ogbonda has received an invite to the New York Jets mini camp. Former Owls Brandin Bryant and Randell Johnson are currently with the Jets.
The NFL Draft had been over long enough, and Tyler Cameron’s phone had been silent long enough that he began considering playing other sports as a hobby.
“I was looking up old-men’s basketball and softball leagues to join in those 45 minutes,” Cameron said.
Finally, the former FAU tight end received the call from agent James Paul that he’d been waiting for.
The Baltimore Ravens invited Cameron to participate in their upcoming mini-camp.
“It was a nice call to have,” Cameron said. “It’s just a start. I get my foot in the door. Now it’s what I do when I get there.”
On Friday defensive end Trey Hendrickson became the seventh former player in FAU to be drafted when New Orleans selected him late in the third round.
No other Owls heard their names called on Saturday as the draft concluded.
Shortly thereafter, though, offensive lineman Dillon DeBoer agreed to sign with the Los Angeles Chargers. Then Cameron received his phone call.
“My agent told me that a few other teams were interested but he didn’t want to wait and thought the Ravens were my best opportunity,” Cameron said.
A quarterback at Wake Forest before transferring to FAU and converting to tight end for his final two seasons, Cameron caught 20 passes for 252 yards and a TD as a senior.
Interest in Cameron prior to the draft was nearly non-existent until he impressed scouts with his athleticism and strength during FAU’s pro day in late march. Only two tight ends at the NFL Scouting Combine managed more than the 22 reps of 225 pounds Cameron bench pressed that day.
The Ravens were one of a handful of teams who liked Cameron, who weighed in at 6-foot-3 and 232 pounds on pro day, as a tight end-fullback hybrid.
“They’ve kind of been in the lead for the past week, interest wise,” Cameron said.
Punter Dalton Schomp and defensive tackle Shalom Ogbonda could still sign a free agent contract or accept an invite to an NFL team’s mini-camp.
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