Former Terp linebacker Dave Philistin tried to keep his NFL Draft weekend chill.

Saturday, he spent the afternoon at a beach near his New Hampshire home, remembering to bring his phone and back-up phone in case a team called. As the weekend wore on, he preferred to get periodic updates off his cell phone or from his older brother.

By the time the fifth round came around Sunday evening, he started to hear from teams. The Jacksonville Jaguars promised to take him with their seventh round pick until that fell through. The Seattle Seahawks said they’d look at him with their two seventh round picks and welcomed the idea of bringing him in as a priority free agent if they did not.

While three of his Terp teammates were taken with the final 26 picks, Philistin did not hear his name called. But the fun was just beginning for the Terps’ second-leading tackler as he quickly needed to decide between at least seven offers to sign as an undrafted free agent.

“The teams kept hitting me up, hitting me up, at the end,” Philistin said. “I’m on the line with one team and another team’s calling me. It was kinda crazy. They definitely wanted me to choose at that very moment.”

He ultimately decided to join the Seahawks, who took Wake Forest linebacker Aaron Curry with the fourth pick, because he felt he had the best chance to crack their roster next season. He said team officials like his versatility in being able to play both outside and middle linebacker, which increases his value at the next level.

“I won’t lie. It’s always good to get drafted because you’re in history almost,” Philistin said. “But I’d rather pick my squad and make the team than get drafted and not make the squad.”

As you may recall, Philistin was not invited to any postseason all-star games or the NFL Combine and had to prove himself at Terp Pro Day.

But now he’s got an NFL team with a chance to play professionally, alongside former Terp cornerback Josh Wilson in the Emerald City. All the way on the other side of the country, Philistin’s NFL journey starts Thursday night when he flies to Seattle for rookie mini camp.

“Maybe [Wilson] can show me the ropes as far as living in Seattle or something,” Philistin said. “I don’t know anybody out there, so I think that’s the best thing about it. I think it’s going to be very good for me.”

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Tags: Dave Philistin, Maryland Terps, NFL Draft, Seattle Seahawks

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