Buffalo Bills coach Sean McDermott had a tip for the reporters at his press conference for the NFL team's rookie minicamp.

"If you want to write about anything, that's a great story to sink your teeth in this weekend here," McDermott told the media members.

The story that McDermott finds so gripping is that of cornerback Levi Wallace, signed by the Bills as a free agent after being passed over in the NFL Draft.

Playing football at Alabama was dream for Wallace that was inspired by his father, and Wallace made it come true as he went from walk-on to scout-team member to scholarship player to starter for the 2017 CFP national-championship team.

"His story's remarkable," McDermott said. "Really a guy that has earned everything he's gotten. I believe he was a walk-on the first two years at Alabama. That's not a place where you would associate with walk-ons having a lot of success, and he obviously did. To meet him and to read about his story, we'll see about this weekend and how he handles himself, but that's a great story."

Wallace's path to the pros wasn't the easiest one, but it worked out.

"I'm glad I have the story I have now," Levi told the Arizona Daily Star. "It gives a lot of people hope and inspiration. I wouldn't change a thing. The whole journey, it's been an unbelievable, unforgettable experience."

Wallace is one of the 12 rookies signed after the draft by the Bills -- a list that includes Alabama wide receiver Robert Foster. They're at the Bills' rookie minicamp this weekend along with players invited to try out and players under contract who have less than one vested year of NFL experience.

Again, Wallace is going to have to beat the odds to make the team. NFL teams carry 90 players on their rosters in the offseason. But when the season arrives, that number drops to 53, and 1,184 players in the NFL this summer won't be by the second week of September. And the Bills will have less invested in Wallace and the other undrafted free agents than they will in their eight draft picks, which included Weber State cornerback Taron Johnson, the 2017 Big Sky Defensive Player of the Year.

Wallace plans to stick with what worked at Alabama in his attempt to make it in the NFL.

"Being at Alabama makes you grow up and mature," Wallace told the Buffalo News. "No matter what coaching comes your way, you've got to take it. That's just part of growing up and being a man. At Alabama, you have to grow up fast. There's no cutting corners. If you miss a study session or a meeting, you shouldn't be there. It's more businesslike than anything. We have a job to do."

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Wallace learned an early lesson in what it took at Alabama.

"The first person I remember seeing was Amari Cooper and seeing his work ethic in the weight room," Wallace told stack.com. "I automatically figured I had to have the same kind of mentality if I was going to make it there and be able to compete with some of these guys."

At 179 pounds, work has been the equalizer for Wallace.

"You may be bigger or faster than me, but you're not going to outwork me," Wallace said. "I like to keep that mindset."

That's why two days after Alabama defeated Georgia in the CFP national-championship game on Jan. 8, Wallace was at the EXOS training facility in Phoenix preparing for the NFL.

"I celebrated on the field with my teammates, and I was excited about that," Wallace said. "But the next day came, and I knew I had to get ready for the Senior Bowl in a couple weeks. It's all business. That's how we train at Alabama. We're always getting ready for the next game."

Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @AMarkG1.