Every minute to pass and each pick that went by ended up only as footnotes below Saturday’s epic elation.

“I was pretty much a nervous wreck all day,” former James Madison tight end Dylan Stapleton said.

Ex-Dukes defensive end Ron’Dell Carter said: “It’s been a roller coaster of emotions, man.”

The 255 pro football hopefuls selected during the 2020 NFL Draft over the last three days didn’t include Stapleton or Carter. Former JMU defensive end John Daka and wide receiver Brandon Polk weren’t picked either, but the four who shined on Saturdays at Bridgeforth Stadium this past fall all earned the opportunities they desired.

Even though they had to wait beyond the seven-round event.

“Words really can’t explain it, so I’m speechless right now,” Carter said, “just because at the last minute Dallas called and told me that they wanted me, so it was a no-brainer.”

Carter told the Daily News-Record the Cowboys were inking him to an undrafted free agent contract. Stapleton said he got the same deal from Houston Texans. Daka said the Baltimore Ravens were signing him and Brandon Polk said the Los Angeles Rams were bringing him in.

All four were All-Colonial Athletic Association choices in 2019.

Carter was the CAA Defensive Player of the Year and a consensus All-American as a senior, and Daka led the FCS in sacks (16.5) and tackles for loss (28) on the same defensive front. Polk was the second player in school history to register a 1,000-yard receiving campaign, and Stapleton, a Division II transfer, capped his college career by earning second-team all-conference honors.

“The Texans told me earlier in the week that they had three seventh-round picks, so they were saying it’d possibly be a draft pick,” Stapleton said, “but you never know with the draft and how things pan out. But later on in the seventh round, my agent called me and said, ‘Houston wants to do this thing,’ so it was great. The tight end coach called me, and it was a done deal from there.

“… But it was probably the longest day of my life. There were a lot of ups and downs, but when I got that call, everything settled down, my shoulders relaxed and it was a blessing.”

Only six FCS products were drafted – JMU quarterback Ben DiNucci was a seventh-round choice of the Cowboys – and there’s a reason for the lack of selections from the subdivision, according to Daka, who pointed out most pro days around the country were canceled due to COVID-19.

The Dukes’ pro day, originally scheduled for March 19, was scrapped.

“You saw this year they went with a lot of Combine guys and bigger-school guys with the cleaner evaluations,” Daka said. “There were question marks with FCS guys that they would’ve like to see in person to compare it, so it hurt, but you can’t dwell on it because you still have that opportunity and we all still have that opportunity.

“So I would say if anything I feel motivated. … I just feel like I have something to prove now, in a sense. I’ve always played with a chip, but the chip got bigger now.”

And Daka at least will try to prove he belongs in the NFL at a familiar venue. The Upper Marlboro, Md., native helped Wise High School win a state title at M&T Bank Stadium, the home of the Ravens, by notching a pair of sacks in the game.

Daka finished fourth in JMU history with 27.5 sacks.

“JMU gave me the chances I needed in order to reach the level where I could get this opportunity,” he said. “It took me from a boy to man and allowed me to be mature enough to see what I wanted and it was this opportunity.

“It’s a huge accomplishment for me and I know my family is so proud, but I’m also just ready to get to work.”

Carter, who spent three seasons with the Dukes after transferring from Rutgers, said his NFL dream might not have happened if it wasn’t for his time in Harrisonburg. He was a captain for Madison in each of the past two seasons.

“But now I’m ready to be a Cowboy,” he said. “They’re getting a championship-caliber player and a guy that’s ready to go, and a guy that’ll get to the quarterback, so I’m ready for it.”