Shortly after Texas' worst NFL draft weekend in more than 75 years, six Longhorns ended the day with good news.
Texas made national news Saturday when it failed to produce a selection in the NFL draft for the first time since 1937, a shutout that nobody saw coming and led to a long day of mockery for the program.
But once the draft ended with Memphis safety Lonnie Ballentine being named Mr. Irrelevant with the 256th pick, the phones began ringing and the undrafted free agent deals got rolling.
Defensive end Jackson Jeffcoat, Texas' highest-rated draft prospect, inked a deal with the Seattle Seahawks to join an already-stacked defensive line.
Jeffcoat was ESPN's No. 106-rated prospect entering the draft and No. 9 at his position. He watched as 22 ends were drafted ahead of him. Questions about his scheme fit, versatility and injury history seemed to be the reason for his drop, and Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones told a reporter he passed because Jeffcoat was a "tweener."
“Going to work in the great northwest. Hello Seattle! #humble&hungry," Jeffcoat wrote on his Twitter account after signing with the defending Super Bowl champions.
One encouraging number for Jeffcoat's chances: Since 2010, the Seahawks have signed 15 undrafted free agents to their 53-man active roster.
Former Texas wide receiver Mike Davis, who was expected to be a mid-round pick, landed with the Oakland Raiders. The first message he posted on his Twitter page after learning of his destination was to Derek Carr, the Raiders' second-round QB selection out of Fresno State.
For the sixth year in a row, no Texas offensive linemen were selected in the draft. Guard Trey Hopkins signed with the Cincinnati Bengals and tackle Donald Hawkins inked a deal with the Philadelphia Eagles.
Cornerback Carrington Byndom signed with the Carolina Panthers and defensive tackle Chris Whaley, who is still recovering from a torn ACL, will get a chance to play for the Dallas Cowboys.
Whaley is a particularly interesting fit there since the Cowboys signed Henry Melton this offseason, another Texas running back-turned-defensive tackle who also happens to be coming back from an ACL tear.
The contracts that Jeffcoat and his undrafted Texas teammates agreed to are three-year deals worth a little less than $1.5 million over the life of the deal, but the only guaranteed money in unrestricted free agent deals come from a signing bonus and, for some, a partially guaranteed base salary.
One surprise among Texas' free-agent hopefuls was kicker Anthony Fera. The consensus All-American and Lou Groza Award finalist did not sign with a team on Saturday, and a source close to him said few teams had expressed interest thus far. If that doesn't change soon, Fera's ticket to the league will have to come through tryouts.
Texas had six former undrafted free agents playing in the NFL last season: Justin Tucker, Phil Dawson, Fozzy Whittaker, Lyle Sendlein, David Snow and Cullen Loeffler.