While the seventh round of the 2020 NFL Draft was going on, former Michigan Wolverines football tight end Sean McKeon was juggling phone calls.

"Late in the draft, I was getting a couple calls from teams showing interest," McKeon said in a phone interview with The Wolverine.

Just after the draft ended, a deal was done. McKeon signed an undrafted free agent contract with the Dallas Cowboys, a team he and his agent had circled from the beginning.

"My agent recommended them, even from the start of the draft, just because of their tight end situation and they don’t have that many on roster really," McKeon said. "I already liked their roster coming in. They made the best deal as far as guaranteed money and signing bonus goes.

"I was definitely really excited I ended up there, and obviously they’re a great organization, too. I was just really excited."

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Now, he has an opportunity to play for one of the most iconic brands in sports, something he's not unfamiliar with.

"I think I was talking to my mom about this — almost comparing their fanbase and popularity to Michigan," McKeon said. "Just being so big and popular, not just in Dallas but around the country and around the world.

"I’m kind of already familiar with having a big and crazy fan base like that, so I think I’ll definitely be ready for it."

Another reason why he's ready is the fact that he played four years at U-M, where head coach Jim Harbaugh is churning out NFL talent. Harbaugh, of course, played 15 years in the league and won 49 games in four seasons — with a Super Bowl appearance — as the head coach of the San Francisco 49ers. He knows what the NFL is all about.

"I think Michigan definitely prepared me well," McKeon said. "There’s no doubt about it, with having Coach Harbaugh there. He runs the Michigan team like an NFL team most of the time.

"I feel like just going through that, going through camps and spring ball, just talking to other guys that went to Michigan that are in the NFL — I’ve heard a lot of NFL camps are easier than ours. So, I feel like Coach Harbaugh definitely prepares us well and does a good job."

Being an undrafted free agent battling for a spot on the 53-man roster can be an uphill climb, but McKeon's been there before. He wasn't a highly-ranked recruit out of high school, yet he produced in college, notching 60 receptions for 668 yards and six touchdowns in his career at U-M.

"I came into Michigan as a three-star kind of recruit, kind of a lower recruit," McKeon explained. "So, I definitely tried to come in and prove myself there, on a roster with Jake Butt and [Zach] Gentry and other really highly recruited guys there.

"You gotta really come in with the mindset that you gotta outwork everyone, and you just gotta come in ready to work and just take coaching and just try to do the best you can to take someone else’s job."

McKeon's work has started. This week, he received an iPad with the Cowboys' playbook and a strength training plan loaded up on it.

He's home in Dudley, Massachusetts, getting prepared mentally and physically to compete at the game's highest level with his new team.

"I’ve just been lifting and training, kind of getting creative with it," McKeon said. "I have some dumbbells and weights in my basement that I’m fortunate to have and use, kind of so some squats and bench and some workouts with those. And then, I still go to the field and do footwork and conditioning and routes and stuff like that."

"So, just trying to do anything in my power to just stay ready and stay in shape."

Rookie (virtual) meetings start today, and McKeon is as ready as anyone.

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