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Former Lobo Quincy Black is headed to Tampa Bay.

Black, who played the hybrid safety and linebacker Lobo position made famous by Chicago Bears star Brian Urlacher, was selected by the Buccaneers with the fourth pick of the third round in this year's NFL draft that began today. Black was the draft's 68th overall selection.

He didn't land his fairy tale draft story, playing for his hometown Chicago Bears, but Black said heading into the weekend playing for any NFL team would be a dream come true.

Black watched the draft with family and friends, including former UNM teammates Terrance Pennington and Adrian Byrd, in Chicago.

Black overcame a lot of obstacles to claw his way into the NFL.

Both his parents died before he graduated from high school and he lost his grandfather, who helped raise him, while he was in college. Despite his obvious skills and raw talent, Black never drew much recruiting attention and worked to find a junior college that would help him develop.

He finally landed a starring role at the University of New Mexico, thriving in coach Rocky Long's program, but he still didn't get national attention as a strong draft prospect.

Much of his senior year, Black was considered a seventh-round pick or free-agent candidate, but he dramatically improved his stock with strong performances in a senior bowl game, at the NFL combine, during UNM's pro day and during individual workouts with select teams.

“He has astronomical athleticism, great football skills and is very smart,” Black's agent Kevin Omell said before the draft. “I don't think it's too drastic to say he has had a meteoric rise in terms of his draft stock since the end of the college regular season. He took advantage of the NFL draft process as a chance to show your skills.”

Black joins a growing list of Lobos who have made it to the NFL ranks. Last season, center Ryan Cook was picked in the second round by the Minnesota Vikings and offensive lineman Terrance Pennington was picked in the seventh round by the Buffalo Bills. Wide receiver Hank Baskett also made a big splash after signing a free-agent contract with the Philadelphia Eagles.

“It's not like we're Tennessee or USC or any of those big schools, but it is nice to have more of us getting to the next level,” Black said before the draft. “I think we've still got a lot to prove. I'm ready to be one of those guys who shows everyone that New Mexico has a lot of strong players.”

UNM's other top prospects, offensive lineman Robert Turner and kicker Kenny Byrd, are still waiting to learn their fate. They were considered late second-day picks or free-agent prospects.

The first three rounds of the draft continue today, while rounds four through seven are Sunday. The entire draft is being broadcast live on ESPN and ESPN2.