The familiar sound of cannons blasting will greet Jeremy Zuttah when he touches the turf for the first time in an NFL uniform.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers selected the former Rutgers offensive tackle with the 83rd overall selection in the NFL Draft on Sunday, spawning a new chapter in Zuttah's football career.
Selected as the 20th pick of day two of the draft, Zuttah was able to end a long weekend of nervousness and anxiety.
"It was long," he said. "It's just great to get finally get picked."
Zuttah worked his way up many draft boards with impeccable workouts at both the NFL and Rutgers University combines. Initially a late-round prospect, Zuttah's efforts spurned a surge up the offensive line rankings and into the third round, where he was selected by the Bucs.
"I heard second to third [round]," Zuttah said. "I think initially I was being overlooked a little bit. Teams knew about me, but teams don't usually draft players higher than they want to."
Case in point: former Knights Eric Foster, Ron Girault, Pedro Sosa, Jeremy Ito and Brandon Renkart were passed over by teams this weekend. None were drafted, though all have strong chances to latch on with clubs as undrafted free agents.
But Zuttah became the second RU offensive lineman to be drafted in the last two years. The Pittsburgh Steelers selected Cameron Stephenson last year in the fifth round.
The pick didn't come as a surprise. The Buccaneers were in contact with Zuttah in the weeks leading up to the draft and had a personal workout set up with the two-time All-Big East honoree, though it had to be canceled.
"Coach [Jon] Gruden talked to me, and the offensive line coach [Bill Muir], and they said they were about to send in the pick when they called me," Zuttah said.
The four-year starter for the Scarlet Knights may get the chance to do the same for a young offensive line, one that Zuttah believes will get the chance to grow and learn together as a unit in the coming months.
"They [Gruden and Muir] said they have a really young offensive line," Zuttah said. "They drafted a couple of really good players, hopefully we can learn and come together as one offensive line."
Where Zuttah will be positioned is up in the air. He was originally projected as a guard in the NFL but feels comfortable playing center and anchored the RU line as the starting right tackle for the last two years.
"I figure [to play] inside, but nothing is definite," Zuttah said. "You never know what happens when they finally see you in person."
While eight offensive tackles were chosen before Zuttah, just three interior lineman were selected, making him the 12th overall offensive lineman taken in the draft.
"I'm happy," he said. "I find out where I'm going to spend the next period of my life."
