After the excitement of draft day, Chris White was faced with a frustrating reality: He had a team but couldn't join it.

"It's definitely been tough waking up every morning not knowing when it's going to end," White said.

Well, it's finally ended - the NFL lockout, that is.

Owners and players reached an agreement Monday, and guys like White, a former Mississippi State linebacker, packed up and reported to their teams.

White was flying from Atlanta to Buffalo on Tuesday, when he joined the Bills, who drafted him in the sixth round in April.

He's one of three former Bulldogs who were drafted in April. Also reporting Tuesday: defensive end Pernell McPhee to Baltimore, offensive tackle Derek Sherrod to Green Bay, and linebacker K.J. Wright to Seattle.

All will have to learn fast. During the lockout there were no mini-camps or organized team activities (OTAs), although players did try to get together on their own. But the rookies couldn't join them, because they weren't yet signed.

Contracts are just one of several things rookies will be going through this week. It could be a bit overwhelming.

"It's going to be a little shaky at first, but we'll get into it," Wright said. "We don't have to worry about school or anything, so we can just worry about football."

White and Wright share modest goals for this season: Get on the field with the special teams unit and try to work their way into a backup linebacker role.

"The main thing is making the team right now," said Wright.

Good advice

Anthony Dixon has offered some advice for his former teammates. Dixon, MSU's career rushing leader, is entering his second season with San Francisco and was thrilled to be back at the team's practice facility Tuesday.

He said he's reminded the incoming ex-Bulldogs to keep being who they are and stay loose, which pretty much sums up Dixon's personality.

"I said to them, just make sure they be themselves, make sure they stay loose and keep that same faith and that same beliefs that got them to where they're at," Dixon said. "It's going to be a lot of things coming at them in the next couple of weeks, and with the lockout happening they're going to get rushed, bigger than what we got."

brad.locke@journalinc.com