Former SMU running back Zach Line had a better week than you did.

That might be an odd thing to say about someone expected by most to get selected in the NFL Draft, but instead spent last Sunday watching the final picks tick off without hearing his name called.

Former SMU running back Zach Line spent the weekend in Minnesota at a rookie mini-camp, showing Vikings brass his ability to play both running back and fullback, as well as special teams (photo by Vikings PR).

Line probably is better off because he didn’t get drafted than he would have been if a team had selected him in one of the final rounds. Had he been chosen in the sixth or seventh round, his destination would have been determined for him; by not getting selected, he got to talk with his family and his agent and choose — although he had to choose very quickly — the team with which he wanted to sign from a group of a half dozen that strongly pursued him. He ended up signing last week with the Minnesota Vikings, and spent the weekend getting a crash course in what is expected of him, on offense and special teams.

Then, as if that weren’t enough excitement, he celebrated his girlfriend’s 21st birthday by proposing to her.

“It’s been a good week,” Line said, laughing. “The whole draft part wasn’t fun, but I ended up in a great spot, and when I got back to Dallas, it got even better.”

Expected by most to be selected somewhere in the middle rounds of the NFL draft, Line sat through three days of the event surrounded by his girlfriend, former SMU rower McKenzie Redman, and friends and family. His disappointment over getting snubbed was undeniable, but as soon as the draft ended, his phone lit up with calls from teams expressing an interest in signing Line as an undrafted free agent. Six teams — the Minnesota Vikings, Pittsburgh Steelers, Tennessee Titans, Houston Texans, New Orleans Saints and Dallas Cowboys — showed the most interest. He talked briefly with his family, but his agent was leaning on him to make a quick decision.

“I liked the offers I had, but that’s tough to make a decision so quickly,” Line said. “From the time the draft ended until the time I made my decision was probably 10 minutes. I had six teams really interested, but my agent said to make my decision quick, because they can pull their offers and go after other players.”

Line chose to sign with the Minnesota Vikings.

“It’s awesome,” he said. “The whole draft is a stressful thing, and the whole (NFL) Combine and everything … but at the end of the day, you’re on a team playing the game you played all your life and love to play. It really is a great feeling.”

Line flew Thursday to Minnesota, where he officially signed his three-year contract with the team and began taking part in the Vikings’ rookie mini-camp.

That he chose the Vikings from the teams pursuing him might come as something of a surprise, considering Minnesota’s offense is built around running back Adrian Peterson, who followed a 2011 season cut short by a knee injury with one of the greatest single-season rushing performances in NFL history, rushing 348 times for 2,097 yards. (Only former SMU star Eric Dickerson ran for more yards in a season when he established the all-time NFL single-season record with 2,105 yards for the then-Los Angeles Rams.) Widely considered the top running back playing in the NFL today, Peterson is backed up by Toby Gerhart, who has averaged 80 carries, almost 341 yards and a rushing touchdown per season over three years and is entering the final year of the contract he signed as a rookie.

“I chose Minnesota because it was the team where I thought I had the best chance, after talking to one of the coaches,” Line said. “Adrian Peterson is Adrian Peterson, and they have Toby, but it seemed like they didn’t really have a back with what I have. I can play both fullback and running back, and I can catch the ball, and most backs don’t play on special teams, but they said if you can play both spots and if you can play on special teams, you’re going to have a job.”

During the team’s rookie mini-camp over the weekend, Line was tried at both running back and fullback, and he showed his ability in several special teams drills.

“Playing fullback was a little weird,” he said. “I’m not used to putting my hand down in a three-point stance (SMU running backs start plays in a stand-up — or two-point — stance). It was weird, getting up out of ‘a three’ over and over, but it’s not a big deal.

“We weren’t in pads, but it was pretty physical. We weren’t getting tackled to the ground, but there was a lot of contact. I think I showed them that I can block, that I can ‘fit’ a linebacker, how I can get my hands inside.”

Line understands that as an undrafted free agent, he has to prove throughout training camp that he deserves a roster spot, but he did get some positive feedback.

“My agent talked to (the Vikings) today,” he said Monday. “He said they were really happy with my camp. Now I have to go back to OTAs (organized team activities) and show them again.”

Zach Line and fiancée McKenzie Redman after getting engaged, with the hat under which he hid her ring (photo by Zach Line).

Before he could focus on the next step of his professional career, Line had another big event planned upon his return to Dallas. He flew back Sunday night — Redman’s birthday — but told her his flight was delayed to excuse her from picking him up at the airport. When he showed up at her birthday celebration, he got a waiter to bring dinner to the table under a metal cover. After lifting the cover, Redman found a Minnesota Vikings hat with the words “Marry me?” embroidered on the brim. Underneath the hat, Redman’s ring waited.

“I was nervous,” Line said. “It’s not that I doubted her response, but you only do that once, right? I wanted to make sure I got it right.”

His professional destination determined and his family future planned — Line and Redman have not set a date for their wedding, but Line speculated that it will take place sometime during the offseason after the upcoming football season — Line now gets to return his focus to the football field. Doing so will be a welcome break from the NFL’s evaluation process, which Line suggested is flawed because of attention that is focused too much on a player’s offseason testing and not enough on what happens on the field.

“I think way too much attention is applied to the Combine, schools’ Pro Days,” Line said. “In my opinion, it would be better if the draft were right after the football season, so (NFL scouts, coaches and general managers) will have how everyone played fresh in their minds, not how they looked in underwear.

“The Combine … I don’t know. I was under the weather, so I obviously didn’t have a good showing for reasons I couldn’t control, but then I came back and performed better at Pro Day, so I didn’t see not getting drafted in the cards.”

This, of course, is not the first time Line has been largely overlooked by talent evaluators — he did become SMU’s second-leading rusher after being passed over by virtually every college team in the country, and is intent on proving his doubters wrong again.

“I don’t know how many backs (the Vikings) will carry,” Line said. “‘AP’ (Peterson) is ‘AP.’ Gerhart — I haven’t seen him run yet.

“What I do know is I can play both (running back and fullback) positions, and I can play special teams. It’s been a long wait, but I ended up on a team and I have a good chance to make the team. I’m really excited to be a Minnesota Viking, and I’m excited that I finally can get back to playing football.”