"As for the system and everything, I don't know too much about it, but I'm excited about getting the opportunity to do this, I'm excited to play football, and I'm living a dream," he said. "I know it's going to work, but it's fun, and I'll be excited every day."

Although going to Seattle was a surprise, Kacyvenski said he expected to go around the area he did, in the fourth or fifth round, based on his conversation with teams leading up to the draft.

"But I was going to be happy with anything," he said. "I wanted a shot, and I'm getting a shot."

Yesterday was the culmination of a long evaluation process for Kacyvenski, who underwent incredible scrutiny. He endured the disappointment and disadvantage of not being invited to the scouting combine, the most important chance for scouts and general managers to test and meet potential draftees.

"I was pretty disappointed in not going to the combine, but that made me work that much harder to get my name out there and get teams to notice me," he said. "The Blue-Gray game ( a college all-star game) helped a lot."

Pro Football Weekly listed as one of Kacyvenski's negatives--as it did for the last Harvard draftee, offensive lineman Matt Birk, a sixth-round pick two years ago--that Kacyvenski "has excellent off-the-field options." Yet he was able to shake the Ivy League stereotypes and now will be competing at the highest level of football.

"All I wanted to do was play football; I had no other options," he said. "I had to show them I'm not some preppy Ivy League kid; that's not me. I just wanted them to get to know me, and I'm glad I got that across to them."

From here, Kacyvenski goes to minicamp in two weeks. After that, he comes back to Harvard and graduates, then will be back in Seattle for the whole summer, doing his best to earn a roster spot.