IRVING, Texas -- Caleb McSurdy hoped to visit the area in January as part of the FCS National Championship Game at FC Dallas Stadium in Frisco, but Montana lost in the semifinals.

He got another chance to come back when the Cowboys took him with the 222nd overall pick in the NFL draft Saturday.

“Today’s been amazing,” the inside linebacker said on a conference call. “It was a little nerve wracking because I knew if I would get drafted it would be towards the end, so just to get that phone call and talk to Mr. Jones, so many emotions. I’m very excited, and it’s an honor.”

McSurdy, at 6-foot-1, 245 pounds, led the Grizzlies with 131 tackles and was an FCS All-American. He joins a crowded inside linebacker group that includes Sean Lee, Bruce Carter, Dan Connor and Orie Lemon.

He is not very fast or athletic, but he shares a common trait from a few of the Cowboys’ other draft picks: He works hard and was a team captain.

“I just think on a daily basis I tried to be an example of a guy getting it done on the field and at school and off the field and someone who worked hard, took football and everything that comes with it seriously and be trusted to make plays,” McSurdy said.

The Cowboys also worked McSurdy out at fullback with running backs coach Skip Peete, but McSurdy said he expects to play linebacker. The Cowboys have another linebacker/fullback type on the roster in Isaiah Greenhouse.