Before Donovan McMillon got to college, he had an NFL combine-themed party to celebrate a birthday while he was in high school.

It’s safe to say that preparation for the NFL Draft is something the Peters Township native and former Pitt player had looked forward to for a long time.

“I have dreamed about this day,” McMillon said during Pitt’s pro day last month, “my whole life.”

He surely dreamed his whole life about Saturday, too. Though he was not selected during the draft, McMillon received a call from the Cleveland Browns to sign as an undrafted free agent, according to Fox Sports.

A safety who led Peters Township to consecutive WPIAL Class 5A championship game appearances in high school, McMillon spent the past two seasons at Pitt after beginning his college career at Florida.

Despite leading Pitt in tackles each of the past two seasons and becoming the first player with consecutive 100-plus tackle seasons in 16 years, McMillon was not among those who were invited to the NFL combine.

“I have been overlooked,” McMillon said. “People question my athletic ability. People question my speed. I just wanted to go out and prove (at Pitt’s pro day) that I’m a fast guy on and off the field and I’m athletic and one of the best players in this draft.”

Listed at 6-foot-2, 205 pounds, McMillon unofficially ran the 40-yard dash in 4.47 seconds.

“That’s the one thing that these scouts and teams have been wondering — how fast I am going to be,” McMillon said. “I think I proved that — being one of the biggest safeties in the draft this year, being able to be fast as well. This league is just about speed. At the end of the day you have to go cover guys like Tyreek Hill and guys who are literally cheetahs on the field, so me being able to go showcase my speed was really important to me. I hit my goal, so hopefully that changed some thoughts about me.”

Over his two seasons at Pitt, McMillon had 220 tackles (109 solo), two forced fumbles, an interception and 10 passes defended.

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