While some thought he might not be drafted at all, Ricky Elmore, as he probably should be, found himself taken in the sixth round of the 2011 NFL Draft, joining the Green Bay Packers as the 197th overall selection.
The former Arizona defensive end heads to the reigning champions likely sliding over to an outside linebacking position after leading the Pacific 10 Conference in sacks for the past two seasons.
Elmore posted 25.5 sacks and 33 tackles behind the line of scrimmage while at Arizona, and most of those numbers came in the past two seasons, where he played opposite 42nd overall pick Brooks Reed, the new member of the Houston Texans.
And in an interesting twist, Elmore will be joining former USC Trojan Clay Matthews on the Packers after having trained with Matthew's father, Clay Matthews Sr., leading up to the draft.
Around Tucson, it was Reed who got lots of credit for the Wildcat bullrushing, but often it came at the expense of Elmore.
While at the combine Elmore showed that he had the speed to shift to linebacker, and while his game tapes hinted that he'd be great at tracking down the run, Elmore told our own Mike Schmitz and the Daily Wildcat that he might not even watch the draft.
It goes to show Elmore's character, a guy always playing with a chip on his shoulder and never willing to give into all the doubters. Yes, he's small for a defensive end at 255 pounds, but while at Arizona easily became one of the favorites for his intensity and relentless attitude.
Just read the quotes from Elmore and you'll see he's taken to heart the lack of respect he's gotten.
"This is what I want to be doing. I don't care if people like everything about me," Ricky Elmore told the Daily Wildcat. "I'm glad I'm not one of those guys that's going to blow up and be a bust someday. I'm going to be one of those guys who works hard and proves people wrong."
So there you have it Packers fans. Ricky Elmore -- quite possibly a steal in the sixth round.