Hailing from Ijamsville, Md., and often seen around town in his Washington Redskins cap, quarterback Zack Mills only needed to hear one word when his phone rang yesterday morning.

"The guy said he was from the Redskins, and I just got really excited," Mills said.

Indeed, the caller was phoning Mills the day after the conclusion of the NFL Draft to let him know that his franchise was interested in signing Mills.

After checking with his agent, Mills agreed, becoming the fifth Penn State player to make arrangements with a professional team within the past two days.

Fullback Paul Jefferson also heard from the NFL yesterday -- the Cleveland Browns will sign him to a free agent contract -- though he wasn't so much excited to hear from a specific team as he was to go wherever in the league he'll have the best chance to make the roster.

"I trusted [my agent] enough to put me in the best position to make a squad," Jefferson said. "Cleveland has a new coach [former New England defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel], and he likes fullbacks."

No Penn State players were selected in the seven rounds of the 2005 NFL Draft, but post-draft negotiations will also send linebacker Derek Wake to the New York Giants, safety Andrew Guman to the Detroit Lions and kicker Robbie Gould to the New England Patriots.

Before negotiating his contract, Mills will have to pass a physical with the Redskins, due to the fact that he pulled a hamstring during a March workout. He then expects to participate in the Redskins' rookie mini-camp, held Thursday through Sunday.

Part of the Redskins' interest in Mills stems from his participation in a workout for NFL hopefuls held at Redskins Park in Virginia on April 1, in which the prospects were assessed for speed and agility and performed position-specific drills.

"I guess I gave them a decent impression then," Mills said.

The quarterback situation is not overly favorable at Washington, as the team used one of its first-round picks to select quarterback Jason Campbell out of Auburn and already has three quarterbacks on its roster, including veteran Mark Brunell and former first-rounder Patrick Ramsey.

"I don't know about [making the roster]," Mills said with a laugh. "But maybe I can catch on as a practice squad quarterback. I just want people to keep my name in mind; I just want to keep my name out there."

Jefferson was prominently in Cleveland's mind even prior to the draft, as the Browns sent him a letter saying that if he wasn't drafted, they wanted him to come to their mini-camp as a free agent.

Though many considered Jefferson the top lead-blocking fullback in the draft, he wasn't surprised his name didn't get called.

"Who's gonna use a pick on a true fullback if they can get one in free agency?" he said. "No fullback like me was drafted before me, so I'm not gonna take it as a big insult. I'm just happy to have a shot."

The Redskins selected six players in this weekend's draft, using their first pick, the ninth overall, to select Auburn cornerback Carlos Rogers.

Cleveland had eight picks in the draft, with its top selection being Michigan wide receiver Braylon Edwards, taken third overall.