Alex Mack got a pleasant surprise early on the first day of the 2009 NFL Draft. The Cal football team's other two selections were left waiting until the draft's bitter end.

Mack, the Bears' starting center for the past three years, was drafted by the Cleveland Browns with the 21st overall pick on Saturday afternoon.

Over 200 selections later, former Cal linebacker Zack Follett was taken by the Detroit Lions with the 26th pick in the seventh and final round. Shortly thereafter, the Seattle Seahawks drafted tight end Cameron Morrah with the 39th pick in the round and 248th overall.

Mack was the first center taken in the draft and the earliest center drafted in the last decade.

"I was sitting down on my couch and I got a call from the GM, and he said that they were going to put my name in during the next four minutes and to hold all your calls for (Browns head coach Eric) Mangini," Mack said in a teleconference. "He got on and he told me that he was thrilled to have me and it was time to get to work, and to play the role that I can."

Mack was named a first-team All-American in both his junior and senior seasons at Cal. He was also a finalist for the Rimington Trophy-given to the nation's top center-in both years.

It was a rewarding moment for the Santa Barbara, Calif., native, who was not highly recruited out of high school, earned the starting spot for the Bears as a sophomore and then chose to forgo a certain selection in last year's NFL Draft to return for his senior season.

"I'm very happy I came back for my senior year," Mack said. "It was probably one of the smartest decisions of my life. I'm very grateful for the people that pointed me in the right direction."

Follett, meanwhile, was projected by a number of mock drafts to go in the middle rounds, but was left waiting until the 235th overall pick.

"I'm not disappointed at all to tell you the truth," he said. "I'm really blessed to be playing the NFL, so I can't wait for the opportunity to get out and play."

Follett joins a Detroit team that drafted quarterback Matthew Stafford of Georgia No. 1 overall in an attempt to rebuild after a winless season in 2008-09.

His medical history might have deterred some teams whose physicals he failed due to lingering neck problems. The all Pac-10 first-teamer said that the thought of retiring in the event of going undrafted did cross his mind, but that the neck pain that reared its head after a stinger two years ago wouldn't slow him down in the NFL.

"It's something I've dealt with, I've played with for the past two years at Cal," he said. "I have a high pain tolerance and I'm used to playing with it."

Morrah was a surprise when he declared for the draft on Jan. 19, deciding to forego his senior season with the Bears. But the 6-foot-4, 235-pound tight end was projected as a mid-round pick on draft boards after setting a program record for most touchdown catches by a tight end with eight.

"I still believe I made the right decision (leaving Cal)," he said. "I'm just focusing on getting out to Seattle and competing. I did everything I could do to put myself in the best position for this, so I'm just ready to get to Seattle and compete for a job."

Tags: ZACK FOLLETT, ALEX MACK, CAMERON MORRAH, CAL FOOTBALL