NATCHEZ — Justin Hamilton spent Wednesday night enjoying the company of his friends and family because when Thursday morning came, he knew he’d embark on a journey he started as a seventh grader.

Hamilton will head to Buffalo today to start preparing for Organized Team Activities with the Buffalo Bills, which take place at the end of May. Hamilton struck a deal with the Bills Sunday after he wasn’t selected in the 2015 NFL draft. Not being selected lit a fire in the former Natchez High School standout.

“Not getting drafted does put a chip on my shoulder,” Hamilton said. “I feel like I should have been drafted, but there are a lot of great players that don’t get drafted.”

Coming off of a senior season with the University of Louisiana-Lafayette where he recorded 25 tackles, nine tackles for loss and four sacks, the defensive lineman garnered talks of making an NFL team. And now that he’s actually getting an opportunity to perform at the next level, Hamilton said it’s a dream come true.

“It really is a blessing,” Hamilton said. “I’ve played football since I was in the seventh grade, and this is just one of those things in life where it just shocks you. The fact that you worked this hard to finally get what you’ve been striving for, it’s shocking, but then you come back to reality.”

Hamilton said since the Bills reached out to him, he’s heard from many friends and family from Natchez, including his former high school coach Lance Reed.

“He just told me how proud he was of me,” Hamilton said.

In his career with the Ragin Cajuns, Hamilton recorded 11 career sacks and 38 tackles for loss.