When coaches and scouts flocked to SMU last month to watch the Mustangs’ Pro Day, the star attraction was defensive end Margus Hunt, who previously had caught the nation’s attention with a stellar performance at the NFL Combine in Indianapolis.

Former SMU defensive end Margus Hunt met the Cincinnati media Sunday, a day after being chosen in the second round of the NFL Draft (photo by Cincinnati Bengals).

Many focused on the amount of time New York Jets head coach Rex Ryan spent putting Hunt through drills. What few noticed was that the other coach who spent the most time with Hunt was Cincinnati Bengals defensive line coach Jay Hayes, who clearly came away impressed, as the Bengals drafted Hunt with the 21st pick in the second round (53rd overall). The selection is the highest an NFL team has spent on a Mustang since cornerback Rod Jones and running back Reggie Dupard were selected 25th and 26th overall in the 1986 draft by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and New England Patriots, respectively.

“It’s a relief, to say the least,” Hunt said of the draft experience. “I’m glad that part is over.”

Hunt, who flew to Cincinnati Sunday morning to meet the local media and visit with his new employers, answered “not that I know of” when asked if he ever had been to Cincinnati, or to the state of Ohio.

“I’m very surprised” that the Bengals turned out to be the team that drafted him. “I met with them at the Combine, but I met with a lot of teams. I didn’t know they were that interested in me.”

Hunt met Cincinnati head coach Marvin Lewis when he met with the Bengals at the Combine, but Hunt said Lewis said nothing to tip off that the Bengals might be interested enough to select him.

“We talked about football, about me going from track to football,” Hunt said. “But that’s what I talked about with everyone.”

In Cincinnati, Hunt will join a team that operates out of a 4-3 alignment — SMU’s defense is primarily a 3-4 system — but he said he doesn’t anticipate a difficult adjustment.

“I don’t think it will be that hard,” Hunt said. “It’s just a matter of taking the time to learn the intricacies of the system. In a lot of ways, it will just be like variations of what we ran at SMU, but with a different language. That’s what I have got to learn.”

Since he joined the Mustangs, the first thing that stood out about Hunt was his height. At 6-8, he’s hard to miss, and once he started blocking kicks at a record pace, it became even more of a focus for those watching the Ponies play. So it may be no coincidence that he is joining the tallest defensive line in the NFL. Starting defensive ends Carlos Dunlap and Michael Johnson can’t quite look Hunt right in the eye, but they’re close. Dunlap stands 6-6, and Johnson is 6-7.

“I think it’s just coincidence,” Hunt said. “But their defensive line coach said, ‘We like tall guys here — you’ll fit right in.’”

Part of what PonyFans have enjoyed about Hunt is watching him as he experiences new things. When he first joined the football team, he had to be taught how to put on the uniform, how to put his hand down at the line of scrimmage, how to shed blockers — everything was new. So it’s not a great surprise that Hunt was not quite sure how to react when Lewis called to inform Hunt, who was watching the draft with family and friends and a TV crew, that he was about to be chosen.

“I was surprised” to be picked by Cincinnati, Hunt said. “On TV, Cincinnati was two picks away when I got the call, and my phone said it was from Ohio. I didn’t know who it was, but when I answered, it was Coach Lewis. He said, ‘This is Marvin Lewis of the Cincinnati Bengals, and I’m calling to let you know we’re going to pick you.’ I didn’t know what to do, but I ran back in the room where everyone was and told them.”

Hunt, an All-Conference USA selection as a senior and the MVP of SMU’s rout of Fresno State in the Sheraton Hawaii Bowl, said that like he is, his family and girlfriend are relieved that the process is over, and are ready to support him, no matter which team ended up drafting him.

“I’m just relieved,” Hunt said, hours before getting on his flight to Cincinnati. “I think we have a mini-camp next week or something, but whatever they say, I’m ready to get started.”