Northern Iowa's Makinton Dorleant tackles Iowa wide receiver Tevaun Smith during the first half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Aug. 30, 2014, in Iowa City, Iowa. (AP Photo/Justin Hayworth)

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By Andrew Sodergren of the Naples Daily News

A long, tense afternoon turned into a celebratory evening for Lely High School graduate Makinton Dorleant.

Dorleant, a speedy defensive back from FCS power Northern Iowa, agreed to terms with the Green Bay Packers on a free-agent deal Saturday moments after going unselected in the NFL draft.

"It's time to grind," Dorleant said. "I'm heading to the league with a chip on my shoulder, not getting drafted. But I'm going to a great situation. We had mutual interest in each other. They flew me up for a visit (two weeks ago), so I knew they liked me a lot."

The Packers didn't have picks in the sixth or seventh rounds, but Dorleant received a personal phone call from Green Bay coach Mike McCarthy at the end of the sixth round expressing the team's desire to sign him.

"He let me know his interest and how much he liked me as a player," Dorleant said. "As soon as he called, I knew Green Bay was in play (if I didn't get drafted). I'm just going to go in and compete and work from the bottom up."

Dorleant said he's optimistic he'll be given a good chance to make the team. The Packers have gone with undrafted players as their starters at cornerback in the recent past.

Longtime starter Tramon Williams was an undrafted free agent, as is current starter Sam Shields.

The 5-foot-11, 177-pound cornerback led Northern Iowa with 17 pass breakups this season, with no other player on the team getting more than five. He also tied for the team lead with three fumble recoveries. After a stellar senior year, he was picked for the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl, a national all-star game sponsored by the NFL Players Association.

Dorleant said the wait Saturday was excruciating, as he and his supporters watched the full seven hours of draft coverage without hearing his name called.

"If I knew I'd be signing a free agent deal with the Packers, I would have done something else with my day," Dorleant joked. "I felt like muting (ESPN's draft coverage) after awhile. But the good news is, I got a great opportunity. I'm really happy about it and I'm going to go in and make the best of it. It's been a great journey and I'm looking forward to representing Southwest Florida and the Naples area."

Dorleant wasn't the only Southwest Florida defensive back making news this weekend, with former Immokalee star Mackensie Alexander and former South Fort Myers standout Jayron Kearse getting picked by the Minnesota Vikings in the draft this weekend. Alexander was taken in the second round Friday, while his Clemson teammate Kearse went in the seventh round Saturday.

"Southwest Florida has always been one of those diamond-in-the-rough areas," Dorleant said. "College coaches usually come down looking for that one guy, but that one guy often becomes a star in college or goes on to play in the pros. I think we're showing how good the talent is down here, and I'll be happy to help add on to that."

Dorleant said he'll head to Green Bay on Thursday for rookie minicamp, and he'll be in Wisconsin through June.

"I'm going to go in there, and I'm going to ball," he said. "I want to make sure I show (the Packers) why they got me and show the teams that didn't take me (in the draft) why they should have gotten me."