After he signed with the University of South Florida out of Robinson High School in Tampa, one college scouting web site ranked him 21st out of USF's 25 recruits that year.
So, when the 6-foot-2, 296-pound defensive tackle went undrafted in April despite finishing his career with the fourth-most sacks (18) in school history, he didn't spend a lot of time feeling sorry for himself.
"I wasn't disappointed,'' he said. "Somebody told me one time that you're going to be on a team whether you get drafted or sign with somebody.
"So I felt that whatever happened, I was going to get a chance to live out my dream and play in the NFL.