Two days went by, 255 picks were made by NFL franchises, and two Panther players waited for the phone to ring. Eventually, it did.

Two Eastern linemen have signed free agent contracts with pro teams as defensive end Kory Lothe will be a member of the St. Louis Rams while center Pascal Matla signed with the New Orleans Saints.

Currently, the only former Eastern player on a NFL roster is the Panthers’ 2004 Walter Payton Award winner Tony Romo. Eastern’s all-time leader in touchdown passes was signed as a college free agent after the draft by the Dallas Cowboys and now remains there as the backup quarterback.

Lothe, the Sun Prairie, Wis. native, watched the draft on television but his name wasn’t called. However, it didn’t take long for pro teams to request his services.

“I received a call from the Rams about two minutes after the draft ended,” Lothe said. “It’s a great feeling to have this opportunity although it hasn’t really hit me yet,”

The four-year starter earned first team All-Ohio Valley Conference honors this year after being named second team All-OVC the previous two years. In his Panther career, Lothe had 195 career tackles, 24 sacks and 29 tackles for loss.

“I just hope he gets an opportunity to show what he can do,” Eastern defensive coordinator Roc Bellantoni said. “He’s worked so hard and deserves it.”

Lothe was just one of many college free agents the Rams staff, led by new head coach Scott Linehan, contacted after the draft.

“I’ve worked so long for this and now it’s here,” Lothe said. “I didn’t care what team just as long as I can continue to play football. that’s all that’s important.”

While it took four more days for Matla to hear from pro teams, the call came from a familiar source.

“I received a call from Ryan Pace (former EIU defensive lineman) who is with the Saints pro scouting department,” Matla said. “He invited me down next weekend for this rookie camp. I’d been waiting all week for a phone call, so it’s exciting to get this opportunity.”

Matla, originally from Voorburg, Holland, joined Eastern in 2001 after the Panther coaching staff scouted him in a Florida all-star game when he played for Team Europe.

“He can play all three offensive lineman positions and scored very high on the Wunderlic test (NFL’s intelligence exam),” Eastern offensive coordinator Mark Hutson said.

While a three-year starter, averaged 85 percent blocking efficiency and had 127 pancake blocks, which was second most on the team in 2005.

“I get to go up against the best so it’s a chance to prove myself,” Matla said.

According to Hutson, the one factor that played in Matla’s favor was his European background. Teams are only allowed a certain amount of players to be sent to NFL Europe in the off-season but if the player is foreign, he can be sent without him counting.

“Several teams have told me that since he’s foreign-born they could send him to NFL Europe without costing them that spot,” Hutson said. “Pascal is very interested in playing for Amsterdam.”

A new head coach Sean Payton, who Panther fans should know very well, leads the Saints. Payton is Eastern’s all-time leader in passing yardage while he suited up for the blue and white. The Eastern alum wasted no time picking up a Panther to try out for his roster.

Training camps for the 31 teams are scheduled for mid-May and the franchises will make roster cuts after every preseason game. Lothe and Matla will be one of the many trying to secure a spot on either the roster or practice squad by week one.