Jameel McClain kept looking at his cell phone Sunday evening, hoping the call he was waiting for would come in.
While the final rounds of this weekend's NFL Draft unfolded on television, the former Syracuse defensive end fielded calls from several pro teams about his availability as a free agent. None, however, were to announce they were drafting him.
For the first time since 1975, draft weekend came and went without a Syracuse player taken. McClain, wide receiver Taj Smith, safety Joe Fields and defensive back Dowayne Davis - each considered possible late-draft selections heading into Saturday - were not picked.
McClain and Smith, though, each signed free agent deals late Sunday evening. McClain signed with the Baltimore Ravens and Smith the Green Bay Packers. Neither Fields nor Davis were available for comment.
Reached by phone Sunday night, McClain said he was thrilled to be trying out for Baltimore, and the news quickly washed away any disappointment from not being drafted.
"I'm excited to be a part of such a prestigious organization," McClain said. "Hopefully I get the opportunity to come in there and showcase my abilities. If I could have picked any team in the world I'd want to be on, that would've fit my versatility and style the best, it's the Ravens."
McClain said he began to grow slightly frustrated as name by name flashed on his television screen and his phone kept silent.
"My feelings were, 'Aw, man,'" McClain said. "I guess that's the best way to describe my feelings. Just 'Awww, man.' Just one 'Aw, man' after another."
But midway through the seventh round, he received calls from several teams including the Cleveland Browns, New Orleans Saints and Houston Texans. When it was Baltimore on the other end, he couldn't resist.
"When it came time to make a decision, there was a lot of communication going on with myself, my agent and the Ravens," McClain said. "That's what made it so appealing. Other than the fact that, you know, it is the Ravens."
Smith watched the draft at home with his family in Newark, N.J. He said he had a feeling things might not go his way when no receiver was selected until the second round.
"For what the draft was looking like, it was anybody's guess," Smith said by phone. "When they didn't pick any receivers in the first (round), it was going to be a little harder for me to get in there. But I just watched a little bit of it and waited to see if I was going to get called. I didn't get called - can't do anything about that."
Smith said the Packers fit as the best scenario for him to make an NFL roster this fall. The 6-foot-2 junior wideout also fielded calls from the Indianapolis Colts and Philadelphia Eagles.
Smith said he will head out to minicamp Thursday.
"(I'm) just sitting and being patient and persevering through the whole situation," Smith said. "Just trying to get my foot in the door."
SU was one of just 11 Bowl Championship Series teams without a single player drafted. Each other Big East school had at least two picked.
Syracuse had two players drafted last season - safety Tanard Jackson (fourth round, Tampa Bay) and linebacker Kelvin Smith (seventh round, Miami Dolphins) - and five signed free agent contracts with teams. Since 2000, Syracuse has had 20 players drafted, third-most among Big East teams over that span.
McClain was the highest rated of any Syracuse prospect heading into the weekend, and the 6-foot-2, 255-pound defensive lineman was expected to be a late-round pick.
Forty-one defensive linemen were chosen by NFL teams this weekend, McClain not being one of them.
Said McClain: "(The Ravens) said they were going to give me an opportunity to compete, which is the most important thing you can ask for."
zsschonb@syr.edu
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