Sam Rodgers, a former Syracuse long snapper, will attend the Buffalo Bills rookie minicamp this weekend, he told The Daily Orange on Wednesday morning.

He went undrafted in the NFL Draft on Saturday — only one has been taken at the position since 2007 — but said it was “a little discouraging” not to receive a call in the days after.

“Once the draft ended, it was actually pretty quiet for a while,” Rodgers said. “Some of my friends had been invited to minicamps, I still hadn’t heard anything … just sat by the phone and waited.”

Rodgers played in every game during his Syracuse career and was one of four team captains in 2014.

He’ll be attending the minicamp on a tryout basis and said he’s celebrating the news quickly before getting back to business. After SU’s Pro Day on April 7, he said he wanted to improve his speed, which is something he said he’s always working on.

In the offseason, he’s been working with assistant athletics director for athletic performance Will Hicks and former SU punter Riley Dixon. He said he can’t be over-prepared for the minicamp, which former SU running back Prince-Tyson Gulley and former SU defensive back Darius Kelly will also attend.

“As a snapper, and really as anyone, it just takes one opportunity,” Rodgers said. “I’m excited to have this opportunity, whether it’s going to be the best one in my career, I don’t know. But I’m going to take it like it is just go and show them what I can do.”

Here are a list of former SU players that have latched on with teams following the NFL Draft:

Jarrod West – wide receiver – New York Jets

Darius Kelly – safety – Buffalo Bills

Durell Eskridge – safety – New York Jets

Cameron Lynch – linebacker – St. Louis Rams

Dyshawn Davis – linebacker – Washington Redskins

Sean Hickey – offensive tackle – New Orleans Saints

Eric Crume – defensive tackle – Jacksonville Jaguars

Brandon Reddish – cornerback – Oakland Raiders

Prince-Tyson Gulley  – running back – Buffalo Bills

Published on May 6, 2015 at 12:10 pm

Contact Sam: sblum@syr.edu | @SamBlum3