After a strong preseason, tight end Robert Tonyan was confident that he’d made the Green Bay Packers’ roster headed into Saturday’s roster cuts.

An hour before the deadline, that confidence was shattered.

“I got a text message saying to come up and bring my iPad and stuff. That was around 2 o’clock. I was like, ‘Oh, man, that’s unfortunate,’” Tonyan said on Monday. “I go up there, and everyone was congratulating me. I was like, ‘What’s going on?’ And I got prank texted by someone. So, that was kind of brutal. But that’s how I found out. I went up there and they were like, ‘Congratulations.’ I’m like, ‘What the hell is going on? Why is everyone happy up here? I’m coming in to turn in my stuff. I got the text.’ And they were like, it’s just a prank text from a number, so I don’t know.”

That remarkable story is part of a remarkable path to the NFL.

As a redshirt freshman at Indiana State in 2013, Tonyan started three games at quarterback. Another quarterback transferred to the school for 2014, putting Tonyan’s career at a crossroads. Did Tonyan want to keep playing quarterback, or did he want to take a leap of faith and try receiver?

Tonyan chose receiver, a decision that got him on the road to the NFL. In three seasons, he finished first in school history with 20 career touchdown receptions and second with 2,047 career receiving yards. Despite a tremendous pro-day workout – at 6-foot-4 5/8 and 236 pounds, he ran his 40 in 4.58 seconds – he went undrafted. Tonyan signed with the Lions but failed to make their roster last summer, and he was out of the league until joining the Packers’ practice squad for the final month of the season.

Tonyan made a strong impression during OTAs. In fact, during OTAs, Tonyan said he’d been invited to participate in some offseason workouts with Aaron Rodgers and veteran tight end Lance Kendricks. A hip injury that sidelined Tonyan for the minicamp prevented that from happening, but it was a clear sign of his potential. That potential turned into production during a strong training camp and preseason, as he finished the exhibition slate with eight catches (in eight targets) for 61 yards and two touchdowns.

Still, for a few moments on Saturday, Tonyan didn’t think it was enough. Even though he said the text message originated from a non-920 area code, Tonyan made his way up to the third floor to hand in his iPad playbook and get a parting message from position coach Brian Angelichio, general manager Brian Gutekunst and others.

“I saw Coach Ang first,” Tonyan said. “He was like happy to see me. And I’m like, ‘All right, you’re happy to say bye? That’s unfortunate.’ But it worked out in the end and I’m beyond happy to be here.”

The transition from quarterback to tight end seems enormous, but that quarterbacking background gives Tonyan a bigger-picture perspective of the offense.

“That’s why he’s so versatile as a tight end,” said undrafted quarterback Tim Boyle, who also made the team on Saturday. “You learn the game easier as a quarterback because you understand things conceptually; you don’t just learn a specific route. What helps him is he can learn a concept and understand what we’re attacking and he can adjust his route accordingly.”

Meanwhile, those three seasons at receiver provided a nice transition. With the Sycamores, Tonyan played what he called the “flex-Y” position, meaning he ran a lot of routes from the tight end position and flexed out wide in the red zone. The grunt work as a blocker is new, and Tonyan said he’s learned a lot by watching Jimmy Graham, Marcedes Lewis and Kendricks.

A quick study, Tonyan survived Saturday’s cutdown. The prank wasn’t the only reason why Saturday was especially memorable.

“It was my mom’s birthday, actually,” he said. “It was good to give her that call and give her that birthday present, so now I’ve actually got to get her an item. It was nice to call her and share an emotional moment with her, something that she’s been there for me since I’ve been playing in middle school. For it to be on her birthday, I can’t be thankful enough.”