The draft had not transpired the way that Tariq Carpenter had expected. Feedback that he and his agent had received indicated that he would be selected in the fourth or fifth round of the NFL draft, but those two rounds came and went Saturday afternoon, and the former Georgia Tech safety did not hear his name called.

As the seventh and final round began, Carpenter said he was in tears as he watched the draft with family and close friends in his hometown of Ludowici. And then a phone call came from an official with the Green Bay Packers.

“I was crying before he called me because I was already kind of upset I was getting passed up, but I got that phone call,” Carpenter told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “He was just asking me if I was ready to be a Packer and things like that.”

Carpenter most assuredly was. And with their first pick of the seventh round, the Packers drafted Carpenter, the 228th overall pick. He became the first Tech defensive player to be drafted since defensive tackle Adam Gotsis and cornerback D.J. White in 2016.

“It feels like a dream come true,” Carpenter said. “That’s what every single person that gets drafted would say, but especially where I came from – I’m the second person ever to get a Division I scholarship from my high school and I’m the second person ever drafted (Jamin Davis, a first-round pick of the Washington Commanders out of Kentucky and a teammate and close friend of Carpenter’s, was the first) – that’s something I’m going to wear on my sleeve forever.”

Carpenter was the lone former Tech player selected, although several former Yellow Jackets agreed to undrafted free-agent deals shortly after the draft ended – offensive tackle Devin Cochran (Cincinnati Bengals), running back Jordan Mason (San Francisco 49ers), wide receiver Kyric McGowan (Washington Commanders), cornerback Tre Swilling (Tennessee Titans) and safety Juanyeh Thomas (Dallas Cowboys).

Cochran and Thomas particularly had expectations of being selected in the seven-round draft.

Carpenter could play either safety or linebacker for the Packers. That versatility, as well as his extensive play on special teams, undoubtedly increased his value. While he was a four-year starter at safety for the Jackets, he worked out at linebacker at the Hula Bowl and the Senior Bowl.

“Teams see me like a big ball of Play-Doh,” Carpenter said after his Pro Day workout at Tech. “I’m so flexible as far as my position.”

The team’s interest in him was likewise no surprise. Green Bay was one of four teams to use one of their 30 pre-draft visits on him.

The day was not easy – the fourth round began just after noon on Saturday, and Carpenter was selected in the seventh round just before 5:45 p.m.

“I’m just going to take everybody who passed on me personally,” he said. “It’s just extra motivation, that’s all it is.”