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They didn't get drafted, but they're still headed to the NFL.

Former University of New Mexico standouts Kenny Byrd and Robert Turner landed free-agent deals soon after the NFL Draft ended Sunday.

Byrd, a kicker and St. Pius X graduate who watched the draft with his family in Albuquerque, reached a deal with the Detroit Lions.

Turner, an offensive lineman who watched the draft with his family in Austin, Texas, reached a deal with the Dallas Cowboys.

Byrd said he has a three-year agreement, with the salary still being negotiated. Turner said the terms of his deal are not being disclosed.

Both players said they were thrilled about landing on NFL teams after a grueling day watching the draft.

“I'm so excited about it,” he said. “It's pretty unbelievable to be able to say, `I'm a Detroit Lion.'”

Turner added, “It's great to have a deal with the Cowboys.”

Byrd said the Lions were among a handful of teams who called him before draft weekend to get his contact information.

“I didn't expect to get drafted because they choose very few kickers, but it's really exciting when teams are asking for your draft day phone number,” he said.

Byrd actually missed the first call from the Lions to his cell phone after the draft. He reached the team's switchboard when he called back and knew they were interested.

Eventually, he spoke with his agent and the Lions to lock in the deal.

Then Byrd spoke with Detroit special team's coach Chuck Priefer.

“He told me they liked my field goal form and don't have to change anything there, but they do like to do positional kickoffs, which is something we didn't do at UNM. We just kicked to the left corner every time,” Byrd said. “It was a pretty good conversation.”

Byrd said he knows it will take two to four years to compete for a starting job, but he is thrilled to be starting the process.

It has been a remarkable journey to the NFL for Byrd.

His sister's boyfriend, then-UNM quarterback Casey Kelly, encouraged Byrd to tryout for the UNM football team. Byrd had never played football or varsity soccer in high school, but he had a strong leg.

Byrd made the team and was thrown into a starting job his rookie year when starter Wes Zunker was injured. He was so green to the sport, he needed help getting suited up in his football pads for the first time.

He learned the ropes from Zunker and made a life-changing choice, following Zunker to Dallas Cowboys' star Chris Boniol's kicking camps.

At the camps, he developed sound kicking form and mental toughness that sold him to NFL teams.

Turner took a much more traditional path to the pros.

He earned first team all-Mountain West Conference honors his junior and senior seasons and was an anchor on the Lobos' offensive line since his redshirt freshman year.

Turner was a preseason All-American and was listed as one of ESPN analyst Mel Kiper Jr.'s top senior guards in the country entering his final season at UNM.

Wrist injuries kept Turner from performing a heavy rotation of workouts with scouts before the draft. He was healthy right before the draft and had individual workouts last week, but the injury likely cost him a spot in the draft that seemed guaranteed earlier in the season.

Turner, however, could prove to be the next Hank Baskett.

Baskett, a former UNM standout, was not drafted last season after getting the same type of hype heaped on Turner. He was stunned and hurt, but he eventually landed with the Philadelphia Eagles and became a national media sensation his rookie year.