Keyonta Marshall left the University of Hawaii after his freshman year to play closer to home.

At the time, he never thought reaching the NFL would happen.

DT Keyonta Marshall

Now, after helping lead Grand Valley State to a National Championship in 2002, the defensive tackle will hope to land a roster spot on a team on the verge of a world championship.

"It's mind blowing. Those are the only two words that come to my mind," Marshall said. "You dream of just being able to play in the NFL, but to go to a team like Philadelphia of such a high-caliber is amazing."

Marshall did not go to the Combine. He stayed close to his home in Saginaw, Michigan all weekend with the hopes of getting drafted. He got one call all weekend, and it came from the Eagles.

"It was definitely relief, the seventh round was about to finish up," Marshall said. "I was preparing myself to be a free agent. Out of the blue, Philadelphia's number showed up on my caller ID. I looked at the TV and saw that they had the next pick, so I thought this might be it."

If he has any chance, the Eagles are going to give him a long look. Defensive tackles Sam Rayburn and Hollis Thomas are among the 10 Eagles who were at one point rookie free agents.