Ron Clements

Perform Media

There was a time when David Mayo's dream of playing in the NFL seemed to be just that---a dream.  In fact Mayo had that feeling more than just one time. 

He was not recruited out of high school. He attended a junior college in Santa Monica, Calif., where he could not find a place to live. When he finally got a Division I scholarship, a pair of injuries had him doubting his football future. 

But the Panthers selected the Texas State linebacker in the fifth round of the NFL Draft on Saturday. Mayo, who wound up living in a shed while in Santa Monica, won't take anything for granted and is blessed to be on the cusp of fulfilling his professional football dream. 

"I've never played in the National Football League, so I know I'm going to have to raise my game," Mayo told Perform Media on Tuesday. "I don't know exactly what I'm getting myself into, so I'm just going to do the same thing I've always done — buckle down and learn the defense as fast as I can and just work my tail off.

"I'm looking forward to the opportunity. It's going to be great."

Mayo's long road to the NFL included plenty of detours.

He did not receive any Division I scholarship offers coming out of Scappoose High School in Oregon — the same high school as Panthers backup quarterback Derek Anderson.

No junior colleges in Oregon field football teams, so Mayo traveled to California. Santa Monica College linebackers coach Lee Lowe sold him on the Corsairs program and the possibility of playing Division I football.

One problem with going to college in Santa Monica was finding an affordable place to live. He answered a Craigslist ad to rent a guest house, but when that fell through, circumstances forced Mayo into an uninsulated shed with concrete floors and no electricity or plumbing.

"I could've shared a studio apartment with three other people and still would've paid a lot," he said.

The shed was in the back yard of a house. Mayo had access to the house to store food and for restroom needs. He was able to run an extension cord from the house to the shed to power his computer, phone charger and lamp and a heater in the winter. He had a bed and an ottoman for his clothes. He was willing to "basically sleep anywhere." Mayo stayed in the shed from July to December 2011, at a cost of $450 per month.

He played well enough for the Corsairs to attract the attention of burgeoning D-I program Texas State, led by former Texas A&M and Alabama coach Dennis Franchione.

"He made lots of plays and was a great person, good student, dependable, accountable young man and someone you could count on," Franchione told Perform Media. "You put all those things together, you've got a good package."

The 6-2, 228-pound Mayo helped the Bobcats to their first winning season (7-5) as an FBS program last year. He finished second in the nation with 154 tackles while earning Sun Belt Conference Defensive Player of the Year honors.

"He played well for us all the way through," Franchione said. "I'm happy for him and proud for him. It kind of makes your heart feel good because, as good of a player as he is, he's an even better guy. 

"He's determined. He set his goals high, worked hard for them every day and he's earned everything he's gotten. Nothing's been given to him, other than opportunity, and he's embraced it at every corner."

His first year playing D-I ball did not end so well. Five plays into a Week 7 loss at San Jose State, Mayo suffered a torn meniscus and was lost for the 2012 season. It was his first time playing on the West Coast and his family had traveled down from Oregon.

"I felt discouraged and it was pretty unfortunate," he said. "They didn't get to watch me play. That was probably the worst part. Well, the worst part was missing the rest of the season, but the cherry on top was that my whole family was there."

The injury bug hit Mayo again in 2013, when he missed a pair of games with a sprained MCL.

"It was a play right at the goal line and a lineman cut me. I felt something pop and, in my head, I'm like, I'm done. Everything is gone," Mayo said. "You can't help but think it initially. It hurt really bad at first, but fortunately for me it was just a sprain."

Mayo flourished last year as he stayed healthy for the entire season. He also had to carry a greater load after teammate Michael Orakpo was lost for the year with a torn ACL and MCL suffered in Week 2.

"He was my partner in crime," Mayo said of Orakpo, who signed as an undrafted free agent with the Cardinals. "It freed me up to make more plays, but it made me think even more so that I have to take advantage of every play and leave it all out of the field. You never know when you might be injured, so I was very thankful and blessed for last season."

Despite his stellar year, Mayo did not receive an invitation to February's NFL Scouting Combine. He ran a 4.7-second 40-yard dash at his pro day, which 19 NFL teams attended. The Panthers were the only team to bring him in for a pre-draft visit.

"When they called, I couldn't (have been) happier," Mayo said of the draft. "I was very excited. I knew they wanted me more than any other team, but you just never know, so I tried to wait it out."

Panthers coach Ron Rivera sees Mayo filling multiple roles as a rookie.

"A guy like this with that kind of position flexibility is something you want to consider, and based on the way he plays, he's what we call a knock-back tackler. When he hits a guy, he has the ability to knock guys back," Rivera said. "He's a downhill player, he plays with his hands very well, and he has good vision. I think what you like about him when you watch him is he is a high-impact player and that equates very nicely to special teams as well."

Mayo, 21, said he's looking forward to learning from Panthers linebacker Luke Kuechly, the 2013 NFL Defensive Player of the Year and the league's top tackler in 2014. He'll arrive in Charlotte this week for the team's rookie minicamp Friday and Saturday. 

"I think the key to success on the football field is the work you put in during the offseason and in practice," said Mayo, who will fly back to Texas on Saturday to receive his degree in business management. "You've got to keep getting better every play."

With a four-year rookie contract worth a little more than $2 million, Mayo should be able to find a comfortable place to live in the Queen City.

"I like the city of Charlotte," Mayo said. "I'm excited about it. I think it's going to be a great place to live."