Mt. Carmel High graduate Duke Preston fretted when the first day of the NFL draft ended without his name being called. So he was both relieved and thrilled when the Buffalo Bills selected him in Sunday morning's fourth round with the 122nd overall pick.

"I sat here for 11 hours (Saturday) and that (stunk)," Preston said. "But it worked out, and I'm excited about where I went. Fourth round is pretty darn good, so I was pretty pleased with that."

Yet enduring three rounds and 101 names called on Saturday is nothing like what his father dealt with 29 years ago.

Duke's father, Ray, was an 11th-round pick by the Chargers in 1976 after an All-American career at Syracuse. That experience enabled the elder Preston to provide his son with a dose of perspective on Saturday night.

"They had 17 rounds back in my day," said Ray Preston, a longtime Rancho Penasquitos resident. "I came out highly touted. I was a Kodak All-American and I was supposed to go in the first two or three rounds.

"They had 10 rounds the first day, and I hadn't been picked. I went to bed crying because I was so disappointed."

The only tears in the Preston household Sunday were ones shed in joy.

Not only had Duke Preston, a three-year starting center at Illinois, achieved a goal he set as an eighth-grader, but the 6-foot-5, 311-pounder will forever be known as the first Mt. Carmel product to be selected in the NFL draft.

"Wow. That's unreal to hear that's been confirmed," Preston said. "I always felt like I had special things ahead of me. Just kind of carrying my experiences with me growing up and living in this community, to hear that is special.

"It's pretty darn cool, and I'm proud to have accomplished something like that."

According to information provided by former Mt. Carmel football coach Gary Jolk, five former Sundevils have signed with NFL teams as free agents.

Former San Diego State cornerback Ricky Sharpe is currently on the Miami Dolphins' roster, though he has never played in a regular-season game.

Another former Mt. Carmel standout, linebacker Keith Miller, had short stints with the Rams and Seahawks earlier this decade. Miller played in 23 NFL games.

While Preston enters the NFL as a draft choice, former Carlsbad High standout Steven Vieira went undrafted. But the UCLA offensive lineman said Sunday night that he had agreed to a two-year free-agent contact with the Cincinnati Bengals.

"I'm just glad I got my foot in the door," said Vieira, a second-team All-Pacific-10 selection last season. "If they told me that I was to go pass out water, I'd go pass out water. I'm happy and content with what's happened."

Preston, meanwhile, is hoping for a long stay in the NFL, and he thinks he landed with a team that makes that goal a strong possibility.

He met with the Bills in Buffalo on April 6 and hit it off well with coach Mike Mularkey and offensive line coach Jim McNally.

"I had a pretty good feeling that they were going to be a team that was highly interested and it worked out," Preston said. "More than anything, our personalities fit. Coach Mularkey conveyed to me that they're looking for guys with a little bit of an attitude and some leadership in terms of finishing blocks and, for lack of a better word, (a butt-) kicking dude."

Buffalo has a veteran center in 30-year-old Trey Teague so there's no pressure on Preston to immediately push for a starting role. He said his first task is familiarizing himself with Buffalo's offense.

"I'm just ready to do whatever they want me to do —— guard, center or even tackle or long snapper, whatever," he said. "I just want to contribute and get on the field as soon as I can."

That's the same type of attitude Ray Preston had when he joined the Chargers. The player overlooked until the 295th pick of the 1976 draft became a starter in his fourth NFL season.

The linebacker made the most of the opportunity, accumulating a team-leading 116 tackles and tying for the team lead with five interceptions as the Chargers won the AFC West crown in 1979.

"He just has to worry about playing," Ray Preston said of his 22-year-old son. "You have to go out there and put the work in. Don't worry about the money, the money will come. Just enjoy the experience —— that's all I've ever tried to tell him about football.

"It's an awesome feeling to see him get drafted. It's hard to explain."

Contact staff writer Mike Sullivan at (760) 739-6645 or msullivan@nctimes.com