More than 250 college football players heard their names called over the weekend during the 2008 NFL draft.

Numerous other players who didn't get drafted were signed by NFL teams as free agents.

Both Gateway graduate Justin King and Woodland Hills grad Ryan Mundy heard the call on day two by the St. Louis Rams and the Pittsburgh Steelers, respectively.

Penn Hills graduate Anthony Morelli wasn't drafted but signed on with the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday night.

Plum's John Simmons, who played at Duquesne University, has been invited to try out for the Kansas City Chiefs, Cleveland Browns and Baltimore Ravens.

I was surprised to see King not selected until early in the fourth round.

Several predictions had him going somewhere in round two. You never know. The draft always is full of surprises.

Mundy said he wasn't sure where he would go in the draft but hoped some team would give him the chance.

That chance came from his hometown team. A couple of weeks before the draft, Mundy visited the Steelers' training facilities and knew the Black and Gold was a possibility.

Morelli has the opportunity to show his stuff in front of former Steelers' assistant Ken Wisenhunt, the Cardinals second-year head coach.

Morelli is known for his cannon of an arm but always has had to deflect criticism about his ability to read defenses and other factors.

He will rub elbows with Cardinal quarterbacks Matt Leinart and Kurt Warner, two signal callers with strong reputations.

Warner has a Super Bowl ring and an NFL MVP trophy, while Linart, the USC Heisman Trophy winner, has made an impact in his first few years in the NFL.

Simmons, as well as King, Mundy and Morelli, have a chance to show what they can do.

That's what every football player coming out of college wants. They simply seek a chance. There's no telling what can happen.

Just ask Willie Parker, an undrafted free agent out of North Carolina. Parker took his chance and today is a Super Bowl champion.