It's very often the case for late round draft choices. The time they wait to sign their rookie contract is a whole lot shorter than the time they waited to be drafted. Buffalo signed their second of two sixth-round picks Wednesday as TE Nick O'Leary put pen to paper.
With his contract now out of the way, O'Leary is focused on working to earn a role on offense as a first-year player.
"I'm happy to just compete with all the guys that they've got there right now," he said. "They've got Charles Clay from Miami. Charles is a guy who I've always watched growing up (in Florida) and just to get in there and compete and try to play a little bit as a rookie."
The 2014 Mackey Award winner finished his college career as Florida State's all-time leading receiver among tight ends in receptions, yards and touchdowns. Having played for and won a national title has Rex Ryan convinced that stepping up to the NFL level isn't a big leap for O'Leary.
"It's probably not that big for him," Ryan said. "He played in the national championship game. He was always a guy they went to on third down. One thing we know is if he's around it he's going to catch it."
O'Leary stands a good chance of playing a role on offense knowing the frequency with which offensive coordinator Greg Roman has made use of multiple tight end sets in the past.
"I think that I'm a good fit for (this offense) in the passing game, running game, and catching the ball," O'Leary said.
