Nate Boyer on 1st NFL practice: 'I'm soaking up every minute of it'

Nate Boyer was one of the most compelling stories to come out of this year's draft.

A former member of the Green Berets, Boyer served in Afghanistan and Iraq before deciding to enroll at the University of Texas in 2009, fearing it might be his last chance to get a degree.

Despite having never played a competitive down before, Boyer walked onto the football team at the age of 29 and eventually won the Longhorns' starting long-snapper job.

Now 34, Boyer is getting an opportunity to pursue a career in the NFL after signing with the Seattle Seahawks as an undrafted free agent.

"I'm so fortunate to be here," Boyer said after his first NFL practice Friday, according to ESPN's Terry Blount. "I'm soaking up every minute of it. You can't ask for more. This is the best team in football."

Seattle already has one of the NFL's most talented long snappers in Clint Gresham, who signed a new three-year deal with the team in March. Boyer knows he's a long shot to make the final roster, but that hasn't stopped him from enjoying the experience.

"Clint was one of the first people to congratulate me," Boyer said. "It's two guys competing and both having fun and getting after it. I'm going to give it everything I have."

Boyer said he has received a lot of encouraging words from his friends in the service.

"But the best things, the ones that inspire the most, are notes and letters from people I've never met," he said. "I got one (Friday) in my locker that said, 'Hey, you're inspiring me to go after something. I don't care that people are telling me I can't and I won't.'

"I love that. Those are the words that drive me. I turn it into fuel and it fires me up."