Peterson to Bills; Lockhart to Jaguars

DeVonte Peterson and Radell Lockhart weren’t taken in the weekend’s NFL Draft.

But their dreams of playing professional football are still a reality.

Both of the Catawba College All-American defensive linemen were signed by pro teams less than two hours after the draft ended.

Peterson, a Clinton native, signed a two-year deal with the Buffalo Bills. Lockhart, out of Charlotte Independence, inked a one-year deal with the Jacksonville Jaguars.

They will report to their teams later this week.

It puts an end to two glorious careers at Catawba that saw Peterson win the South Atlantic Conference Defensive Player of the Year award in 1999 and Lockhart take the award in 2000. In their last two seasons at Catawba, they led the Indians to a combined 22-3 record.

Peterson began receiving calls during the fifth round of Sunday’s draft. He heard from officials representing Kansas City, Miami, New England and Buffalo.

When the last of the 246 picks was called, Peterson found himself in a recruiting war as a free agent between Miami and Buffalo. He said he was leaning toward Miami and the warm weather until talking with his agent, Joe Linta.

“We weighed the options,” said a giddy Peterson Sunday night while walking around the Catawba campus. “Miami had five defensive tackles on the roster and they were only keeping five. Buffalo has only two defensive tackles. So that was our best bet.”

Linta talked on the phone with Bills president Tom Donohoe, working on the deal. The Bills are flying Peterson to Buffalo on Thursday.

Linta would not say how much Peterson’s signing bonus is, but the NFL salary for first-year players is $209,000 the first season and $289,000 the second.

Peterson said he wasn’t disappointed that he wasn’t drafted.

“I understand the competition on the Division I level is greater, at least that’s what they think,” he said, referring to NFLteams. “But I think football is football, anywhere you go. I’m giving it all I have.”

Peterson wants to prove to the NFL that they were wrong in not selecting him.

“You have to be like that,” he said. “You’ve got to have that motivation.”

What do the Bills have in store for Peterson Thursday?

“I didn’t ask,” he crowed. “It doesn’t matter.”

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Lockhart, a 6-foot-4, 280-pound defensive end, was not expected to be drafted, but Linta had plenty of options for his client. The Jags won out over Green Bay, Baltimore, Chicago and Miami.

Baltimore had actually called Lockhart during the seventh round and told him he was their man at No. 231. But the Ravens passed and selected another defensive end.

Jacksonville is low on numbers right now. “I think it’s a good fit for Radell,” Linta said. “There’s more opportunities there.”

Lockhart will fly to Jacksonville on Thursday for a physical and begin practice Friday.

“This is a dream I’ve had since I was 10 years old,” he said. “I’m happy to have the chance but I feel like I have something to prove, coming from a small school.”