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Ray Rice sat in his New Rochelle home and waited for a lot longer than he anticipated.
After it was over, however, the former Rutgers and New Rochelle standout said it was worth it.
"I honestly didn't think it would take that much time," Rice said by phone after he was finally taken in the second round by Baltimore with the 55th overall pick in yesterday's NFL draft at Radio City Music Hall. "It was a really long day, but I got picked and I'm staying on the East Coast. I wouldn't change anything."
Before he was selected, the 5-foot-8, 199-pound Rice watched six other running backs go, including five in the first round, as well as Tulane's Matt Forte to the Bears in the second at 44. He had hoped to go as high as late in the first, if not early to mid-second.
"I tried to keep my hopes up the whole time, but it was getting harder as the day went on," said Rice, who gave up his senior season with the Scarlet Knights to enter the draft.
And even as he slipped through the second and was on the verge of not being selected on the first day, he insisted he didn't begin to regret his decision.
"I never felt I made a mistake," Rice said. "I definitely thought I would go higher and I was wondering what was going on, but throughout it all, I knew I did the right thing."
The next thing for Rice will be to head to Baltimore, where he will be in the backfield with Willis McGahee, who rushed for 1,207 yards a year ago.
"That's fine with me," Rice said of going to a team that already has an established player at running back, albeit one who has battled injuries in the past. "It's a great opportunity to learn from another player, which is what I'm going to do."
After a stellar career at New Rochelle, Rice helped get Rutgers on the national stage, rushing for 4,926 yards and 49 touchdowns in his three seasons. The main concerns scouts had about Rice involved his short stature.
"I don't feel I have anything to prove and I'm not bitter," Rice said. "I just had to be patient, but at the end, I had no complaints. It was a long process and I'm glad it's over. Now I can just go play."
dan.martin@nypost.com
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