BEREA, Ohio -- Sitting in the Cleveland Browns media room was DeShone Kizer, the Notre Dame quarterback.

And Larry Ogunjobi, a defensive tackle from UNC-Charlotte.

Football is a special form of religion at Notre Dame. Kizer was considered perhaps the top NFL quarterback prospect at start of the 2016 college season.

And Ogunjobi?

I didn't even know UNC-Charlotte had a football team. Former Cleveland Cavalier Mark Price is the basketball coach there.

The UNC-Charlotte football program is 4 years old. Ogunjobi is the first player ever picked from that school by the NFL.

Both players were extremely grateful to be in Berea and picked by the Browns in the 2017 NFL Draft. That's genuine.

Ogunjobi still seems a bit stunned to have been drafted in the third round -- or any round.

Kizer was in the green room in Philadelphia on draft night Thursday. The Notre Dame quarterback had a rough 2016 season, yet was still expected to be a first-round selection.

His name would be called. He'd walk up to the stage, put on the cap of his new team, and it would all be on national television.

Thirty-two names called. Three quarterbacks drafted.

None named Kizer.

First round was over. Kizer returned to his Toledo home on Friday.

As he said, "No media, just with my family."

He waited as the second round came. Twenty more names were called before Kizer was selected by the Browns with the 52nd pick.

THERE IS A MESSAGE

For Kizer, this has to be a humbling experience.

Being the starting quarterback at Notre Dame brings a lot of pressure, but also a lot of attention. It's easy to have a sense of entitlement, especially after the 2015 season when Kizer led the Irish to a 10-3 record and a top 10 national ranking.

Last season, the Irish collapsed. They were 4-8. Kizer was benched in one game. Those who cheered and backed him in 2015 began to grumble and question his leadership and ability.

Kizer tries to say it comes with the job of being a Notre Dame quarterback, but it had to surprise and hurt him.

At Toledo Central Catholic, he was a basketball star. He played the outfield and batted fourth on the baseball team.

In football, he was a top 100 recruit nationally. Sports came easy for the 6-foot-4, 230-pound gifted athlete.

Then came the draft-day snub in Philadelphia.

The Browns had a private workout for Kizer. He began to develop a relationship with head coach Hue Jackson and quarterback coach David Lee.

Kizer said he's already made some of the adjustments in his passing suggested by Jackson during their workout.

"I truly believe this situation is best for me," said Kizer.

THERE IS A REWARD

Ogunjobi did dream of playing pro football, but he was nobody's high school All-American.

He didn't even play football until was a sophomore. He weighed more than 350 pounds. His mother wanted him to go out for the team and get in shape.

By his senior year, he was an all-conference lineman at Ragsdale High near Greensboro, N.C. UNC-Charlotte was just starting a football program. He was one of the first recruits.

At UNC-Charlotte, he was a four-time Conference USA honor role student. He has a double major in biology and computer science. If there was no football in his future, he planned to apply to medical school and become an oncologist.

"I feel like getting drafted is a stake in the ground that allows people to know you can do it if you want it badly," Ogunjobi said. "To me, being the first player drafted from my school opens up doors ... not just for me, but others ... the schools with the small school stigma on them."

Sitting next to Ogunjobi and listening to his story had to remind Kizer how hard it is simply to be drafted, and how much it means to someone who has come so far with so few athletic advantages.

"The last couple of months, I've acknowledged how much room for growth there is for me.'' Kizer said.

That's a good place for him to start his pro career.