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Every draft brings players who go earlier than expected and players who remain available far longer than expected, both of which are reminders that all of the mock drafts and prospect rankings in the world can’t tell you how the 32 NFL teams really feel about the players available to be picked.

Defensive tackle Andrew Billings was one of the players who went later than expected this year. Billings was generally projected to get drafted somewhere in the first couple of rounds, but lasted until the 122nd overall pick in the fourth round before the Bengals took him off the board.

It wasn’t the way Billings expected things to go, but the rookie says he likes the way he feels now that the process is over. Billings said he “can’t even explain how huge” the motivating chip on his shoulder is after falling in the draft.

“This is something I’m going to carry with me my whole life,” Billings said, via ESPN.com. “It’s actually a good thing for me.”

Billings, whose landing spot in the draft has been attributed to concerns that he’ll be limited to a run-stopping role, need only look at teammate Geno Atkins to see that going in the fourth round doesn’t close any doors once you get on the field.