CHARLOTTE -- DeShawn Baker waited by the phone Sunday and as the NFL Draft faded into the night and his line stayed silent, he figured his football career may be over.

A little after lunch Monday, the phone went off.

“The first thing the guy on the other end said was, ‘Are you flying out of Charlotte?’” Baker said. “I was like, ‘what?’ I didn’t know who it was, but then he told me who he was and that he needed to get my e-mail so he could send me my flight arrangements and what I needed to bring.”

The voice on the other end belonged to a representative from the Cleveland Browns, and Thursday Baker will board a flight out of Charlotte -- teammate James Lee will hop on one out of Georgia headed to the same destination -- and report to the Browns’ rookie mini-camp.

“Awe man...that made me feel good,” Baker said. “It brightened up my day. I knew they liked me a lot because they told me they did. But, I didn’t know this would happen...that they would give me a call.”

The mini-camp invite is a major step in a long journey back from a devastating knee injury -- Baker tore his meniscus, ACL and cartilage from the bone -- during the East Coast Bowl following his senior year at S.C. State. There were days, he said, that he thought he would never play football again.

“Plenty of days...” he said. “I was kind of doubting...but I just tried to keep it in my head that I was going to do something.”

After sitting through the draft a season ago, Baker said he tried to limit his viewing of the event this year. He did try to catch Kansas City, Chicago, Jacksonville and New Orleans’ selections because those teams were interested in former S.C. State teammates and current friends, James Lee and Cleve McCoy. Neither were drafted, but all three will get a shot at the NFL with Lee and Baker ending up as teammates once again.

“(Lee) called me,” he said. “We were laughing about this. I hope they put us in the same room. He has me laughing all the time. It’s cool that it worked out like this. If they do decide to bring me to camp...I think I can learn a lot.

“They have Jamal Lewis starting,” Baker added. “But, hopefully I can make it as a backup. I’m a power back, so hopefully they can use me on short yardage or as a third-down back. I’m just happy they thought enough of me to bring me in after a year off.”

T&D Sports Editor Brian Linder can be reached via e-mail at blinder@timesanddemocrat.com or by phone at 803-533-5553. Check out his blog, Welcome to Linderland, at www.thetandd.com.

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