When Rob Petitti was growing up in Rumson, N.J., he was a rabid New York Giants fan. He can vividly remember Scott Norwood missing that 47-yard field goal, and the Giants squeaking out a victory against Buffalo in Super Bowl XXV.

The architect of those Giants teams was Bill Parcells, who is the coach of the Dallas Cowboys. Yesterday afternoon, Petitti received a phone call from Parcells and was told that he was going to be a Cowboys player.

Petitti, a 6-foot-6, 337-pound offensive tackle from Pitt, was the 209th overall selection in the NFL draft and a sixth-round choice.

"It's a dream come true for me," Petitti said. "I was a Giants fan growing up. I know Parcells is a tough coach. That's the kind of coach I like to play for. I couldn't ask to play for a better coach."

It was a long two days for Petitti, who had been projected by some to be a third-round choice. But as Saturday turned into Sunday and the rounds went by yesterday, it became apparent that NFL teams had dropped Petitti down on their draft boards. Seventeen tackles were drafted ahead of him.

Petitti said he was downgraded because he had a turf-toe injury at the Senior Bowl, which led to weeks of inactivity until the NFL scouting combine, where he weighed in at a whopping 350 pounds.

"It's been an emotional few days," Petitti said. "It's hard to see guys go ahead of you who you know you're better than. But I've been underrated my whole life. Every time I play other teams now, I'm going to prove to them why they should have taken me."

Parcells told Petitti that he would have an opportunity to compete for the starting right tackle position.

Petitti was one of five players with local ties who were taken on the second day of the draft. The San Francisco 49ers took two of them. They selected West Virginia's Rasheed Marshall, a 6-foot, 185-pound converted quarterback who will be a receiver in the pros, in the fifth round and former Clairton High School standout Daven Holly, a 5-10, 192-pound cornerback from Cincinnati, in the seventh round.

Mt. Lebanon High School graduate Justin Geisinger, a 6-4, 322-pound offensive lineman from Vanderbilt, was taken in the sixth round by Buffalo. And IUP's LeRon McCoy, a 6-1, 211-pound receiver, was taken by Arizona in the seventh round.

That means Division II IUP had one more player drafted than Penn State, which had one of the longest streaks of producing draft choices. The Nittany Lions had at least one player drafted every year since 1960. They were the only team from the Big Ten Conference not to have a player drafted.

Geisinger, a three-year starter at Vanderbilt, watched the draft from his parent's home in Mt. Lebanon. He was projected anywhere from the fourth through the seventh round and pronounced himself "relieved" after being taken with the 197th overall selection.

"It was a long day," Geisinger said. "I guess it's better late than never."

A couple of Pittsburgh connections helped Geisinger land in Buffalo. General manager Tom Donahoe is a former Mt. Lebanon resident and knows Geisnger's father, and Mt. Lebanon High School coach Chris Haering put in a good word to one of Buffalo's head scouts, his uncle Joe Haering.

"The Bills are a tough, blue-collar team," Geisinger said. "They said that's why they chose me. I'm not real flashy."

Geisinger played left tackle at Vanderbilt, which competes in the Southeastern Conference, but is projected to play guard in the NFL. He said Bills coach Mike Mularkey told him that's where he will start out.Marshall and Holly join two other Pittsburgh products currently playing for the 49ers. Former Peabody star Kevan Barlow started at tailback last season and former Woodland Hills and Pitt player Shawntae Spencer plays cornerback.

Two local players signed as free agents last night. Chartiers Valley graduate Ray Ventrone, a safety from Villanova, signed with the Patriots; Kay-Jay Harris, a running back from West Virginia, signed with Miami.