If Jimmy Kennedy thinks he found out what nervousness is from falling to No. 12 in the first round of the NFL Draft, he clearly hasn't spoken to center Joe Iorio, safety Shawn Mayer or offensive tackle Gus Felder yet.

Though it was more excruciating because of the cameras in the green room, Kennedy's term in limbo didn't last very long before the St. Louis Rams took him. However, for the other three, the entire draft went by before they finally were assured that they would be in an NFL camp.

Though all three were expecting to be taken, Iorio, Mayer and Felder all went undrafted before being signed as free agents Sunday. Guard Tyler Lenda, who wasn't expecting to be drafted, was also signed.

Iorio heads to the Indianapolis Colts, Mayer to the New England Patriots, Felder to the Cleveland Browns and Lenda to the Denver Broncos.

Tackle Eric Rickenbach, who was hoping to catch on as a long snapper, is still waiting to sign.

Mayer, who seemed to have the most promise among the group, was signed immediately after the draft ended. He plans on using the fact that he was not drafted to his advantage.

"I'm just going to use this as motivation to try to prove everyone wrong and be one of the few free agents that catches on," Mayer said. "It sucked. I was expecting to go. A lot of teams expressed interest, but I guess you never know in this business."

Mayer will be trying to break in as a backup behind veteran safeties Lawyer Milloy and Tebucky Jones.

The signing serves the Hillsborough, N.J., native well. His family is close enough to make the trip to Foxboro, Mass. His girlfriend, Penn State gymnast Nikki Bongiovanni, is a Connecticut native, so she should also be able to make it out to games if he makes the squad.

Iorio is also staying fairly close to home. The Sylvania, Ohio, native will only be playing three and a half hours away from home in Indianapolis.

Iorio had interest from plenty of teams and several offers once the draft ended, but the Colts clinched the center's services when head coach Tony Dungy called to get him signed.

"Dungy told me that he thought I was their kind of player and that he really wanted me out there," Iorio said. "That made me feel like a priority even though they didn't draft me."

The Colts are also paying him like at least somewhat of a priority. Iorio will make the league minimum if he makes the team, but he will also get a $13,000 signing bonus. He will also get a decent shot at playing time. The Colts only have three backup interior offensive linemen.

Lenda may also get a shot to get some playing time early. At the end of last season, the Broncos only had one backup on the interior offensive line, and the Broncos took just one other interior lineman in the draft.

The Broncos have been known for having one of the top offensive lines in the game. Lenda is hoping to join those ranks.

"I'm just happy to get my shot and get into a camp," Lenda said. "They're just looking for guys that can play, and I can show that when we get on a field."