On Saturday, Moro Ojomo landed his first job out of college.

Now, he will have to move to Philadelphia for this gig. That's fine with him, though. As he pointed out during a conference call with reporters last weekend, Philadelphia is where the good cheesesteak sandwiches are.

Ojomo, a defensive lineman who spent the past five years at Texas, now works for the Philadelphia Eagles, who used a seventh-round draft pick to get him. Ojomo, selected 249th overall, was the fifth Longhorn taken in the draft.

"I was just excited to have an opportunity to go to such a great team with so many great players that I can learn tons from," Ojomo said. "It was just thankfulness that they were the people that took a shot at me."

Ojomo had been projected by many to be a third-day prospect. As for when he would be selected on a day that featured the final four rounds and 157 picks, that was anyone's guess. And Ojomo had to wait awhile.

More: Texas' Moro Ojomo drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in Round 7 of 2023 NFL Draft

He spent the day playing video games and watching episodes of the TV show "Suits." "I try to not be riddled with anxiety, and it's probably the most anxiety-filled situation ever," he said.

As the seventh round got going around 4:20 p.m., Ojomo still had not been selected. But with 11 picks left, he received a phone call. Howie Roseman, the Eagles' general manager, asked if Ojomo wanted to come play in Philadelphia.

"We can't believe you're here in the seventh round," Roseman told him. "We know you're going to show the world what kind of player you are."

The Eagles later published a video of the call, which featured the sounds of Ojomo's sister screaming excitedly in the background.

The Eagles drafted Ojomo with a pick they had acquired earlier in the day from Detroit in a deal that also brought running back D'Andre Swift to Philadelphia. The 249th pick — the last noncompensatory selection of the draft — originally belonged to Kansas City, but it had been dealt to Detroit earlier in the draft.

Ojomo is the first UT player drafted by Philadelphia since linebacker Jordan Hicks in 2015. He said he had an informal meeting with the Eagles and met a couple of times over Zoom with club representatives, so "I think there was a pretty decent amount of interest there."

More: Golden: Between the draft and the SEC, this is Texas football's window of opportunity

'People that know me know I love to compete'

When speaking to the Texas press corps Saturday evening, Ojomo said he hadn't yet been given an itinerary for what is next. He just knew that "I want to go to work. I want to go compete." He'll need to do both soon.

Ojomo is joining a talented team that reached the Super Bowl last year and led the NFL in sacks. In the first round of the draft, Philadelphia took Georgia teammates Jalen Carter and Nolan Smith to join a defensive line that returns players such as Fletcher Cox, Brandon Graham, Josh Sweat and 2022 first-round pick Jordan Davis.

"People that know me know I love to compete. I think that's why I play the game of football," said the 6-foot-3, 292-pound Ojomo, who was used as both a defensive end and tackle at Texas. "I'm not not afraid of anyone. I give everyone the respect they deserve, but just know I'm going to come 110%."

Last year, 41 picks were made in the seventh round. Thirty-two of those players appeared in at least one game during the season. Brock Purdy and Skylar Thompson started postseason games at quarterback. Isiah Pacheco went from the 251st pick to being the leading rusher in Super Bowl 57. Rodney Thomas led the Indianapolis Colts with four interceptions.

Will Ojomo become the next seventh-round contributor? Only time will tell, but he will at least get a shot.

More: With the NFL combine and Texas pro day behind him, Moro Ojomo shifts his focus to football

His dream realized, a time for thanks

With that phone call from Roseman, a chapter that began just after the Alamo Bowl ended for Ojomo. In the lead-up to the draft, he hired an agent and moved to Atlanta to train. He participated in the East-West Shrine Bowl, worked out at the NFL scouting combine and UT's pro day, and interviewed with teams. He then sat through 248 picks last week before his name was finally called.

On Saturday, Ojomo was asked if he had enjoyed the draft process. He laughed and reflected on the past four months.

"I think the process itself is a very interesting and kind of intriguing thing. But when you zoom out at it, I should be so grateful. I really should be so thankful," Ojomo said. "It's so easy to compare up. It's so easy to get annoyed at certain things, be frustrated. But reality is, is it (259) guys get picked in the draft, (259) people hear their name called? How many elementary kids, how many kids are in little league right now, and that's their one dream? I was one of the (259) that was called. I should be thankful."

About this story

This is Part 4 of an occasional series following Texas defensive lineman Moro Ojomo's journey through the NFL draft process.

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Texas' Moro Ojomo drafted by Philadelphia Eagles after long wait