IRVING -- After a press conference last Wednesday at The Star in Frisco, Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones was asked about the undrafted rookie free agents participating in the team's rookie minicamp.

Pressed to name a player he's excited about, Jones finally gave one up: Rodney Coe, a defensive tackle from the University of Akron.

Although Coe went undrafted, he was a player the Cowboys had on their board, meaning he could've easily been their seventh-round pick. But they did not have one.

"There are reasons he didn't get drafted," Jones said. "But he certainly has a lot of ability and I think a coach like Rod Marinelli will do wonders for him in terms of his up and down career. We will give him some stability. He certainly has all the ability and all the skills. It's just getting his mind around being a football player and being accountable and doing what it takes to be successful. But he certainly has the ability."

Coe said Friday that it's a "great feeling" and "very humbling" to hear praise from Jones.

Coe was one of the Cowboys' 29 pre-draft visitors, so he knew there was serious interest. The 6-3, 305-pound former running back also had pre-draft visits with the Kansas City Chiefs and Green Bay Packers.

But when it appeared that he wouldn't be drafted, it was Dallas and New England making the hardest push.

"Really it came down to the Patriots or Cowboys, who I knew was really going to give me a shot," Coe said. "My agent had called me and told me the deal, that the Cowboys wanted me to come here. And he knew from my visit that I wanted to be a Cowboy. And so the Patriots called me and said 'We know you want to be a Cowboy, but you should think about us.'

"Obviously I didn't, because I had told my agent I wanted to go with the Cowboys."

Coe is athletic enough to play multiple positions. He said Friday that the Cowboys plan to try him out at both defensive tackle spots.

"He's really a good athlete," defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli said. "He was a tailback in JC too, so you know me and movement. He's a big man. He's light on his feet. He's just working. He's got to get in shape better. He's a big, athletic man, and he could play the nose position in a heartbeat. Being an athlete, and just from what I've seen movement-wise, I really like him. I'm excited to have him here."

Here are some other topics discussed with Coe during rookie minicamp at Valley Ranch.

On if he expected to be drafted:

"Personally, no I really didn't, because I knew my situation like me jumping around from school to school. There really wasn't a lot of tape of me being in a new position. After a little while, me playing in the all-star game and the college gridiron game and when my name actually kind of got out there, I had little hopes of getting drafted when teams were talking to me. But I mean, I thought it might be late-round, but it didn't happen. I was a little disappointed, but I'm still happy. I'm blessed to get this chance."

On those who question his motor:

"That's kind of been my whole ordeal throughout. A lot of my coaches gave me stuff for my motor, so now all I can really do is come in here and prove myself and let them know I have a motor. They know what I'm capable of. It's just me going hard every play. All I can do is just come out here and show them I do have a motor and I have a motor every play and just prove myself really."

On the Cowboys needing defensive line help:

"It's a really big opportunity. I'm blessed to be here. I'm going to do everything I can to prove myself and earn a spot and be a part of this defensive line, help them out on game day. I just want to be an asset to the team."

On Rod Marinelli:

"When I had come for my visit down here, me and him had talked. Off that, I thought he was a great guy. I knew if I came here he could make me a great player. ... I think he's an amazing guy and an amazing coach. I just know that me being with him is going to make me a great player. I'm just excited to see what me and him being in contact with each other, him coaching and me playing for him, what else it's going to bring."

On why he bounced around so much:

"Coming out of high school, I didn't score high on the ACT, so I had to go to junior college. After junior college, I went to Iowa State. When I was at Iowa State, it didn't go good. Me and the coaches didn't get along, broke a few teams rules, nothing major, no failed drug tests or anything like that, but they kicked me out, so I had one year left. One of my friends that was going to Akron, I guess he talked to one of the coaches. He called me up and offered me a full scholarship. That's how I ended up at Akron, redshirted and played my last year."

On how much of a learning experience Iowa State was for him:

"From Iowa State to Akron it's day and night. It was a big learning experience. It helped me mature a lot. I had a lot of time to reflect on my actions, to just think about the type of person I am, the type of person I want to be, where I want to be in a couple years. A lot of people say they regret, but I don't really regret it because it helped me better myself and put me in the position I am today."

On the success rookie free agents have had with the Cowboys:

"I told my agent that I love Dallas. Just being part of this organization, all the coaches, I've gotten a lot of love from all the fans. I have had a lot of people comment on my pictures and [direct message] me and say, 'Don't be down on yourself.' Everyone is looking forward to seeing me play and they're expecting great things. Everybody has been like there are a lot of greats that have come from being late-round picks or undrafted. So they're just like, 'Go in there and do your thing.' I've just been trying to be positive. I'm blessed, so I'm just really going to show the type of person I am and show the type of athlete I am and hopefully something good will come out of it."

Twitter: @jonmachota