An "imperfect process" led to a perfect ending when the St. Louis Rams selected former Hawaii linebacker Aaron Brown in the seventh round of the NFL Draft on Saturday.

"He’s probably one of the biggest surprises," said Michael Hoffman, Brown’s agent. "I don’t know if anybody had him on the (draft) list. He wasn’t invited to the (NFL Combine). He pulled his hamstring at pro day. It wasn’t a perfect process for him."

Brown said: "I’m just glad it all worked out."

It also worked out for three of Brown’s former UH teammates:

» Defensive lineman Vaughn Meatoga reached a free-agent agreement with the Washington Redskins. Meatoga said he will be used at nose tackle.

» Linebacker Corey Paredes landed a free-agent deal with the Minnesota Vikings.

» Defensive lineman Zach Masch agreed to terms with the Seattle Seahawks.

Brown said he was a running back in Pop Warner, and he followed Marshall Faulk, who played for the Rams.

"I watched the Rams because of him," Brown said.

The Rams had been following Brown since the end of the 2011 season. Brown played in an all-star game in January.

"They saw my highlight tape," Brown said. "Word of mouth started spreading."

Brown said he tried to keep busy during the three days of ESPN’s telecasts of the draft. He was at a friend’s house in Washington state when he received the call from the Rams.

"I tried to be cool about it," said Brown, who did not watch when his selection was announced on ESPN.

He didn’t miss much. NFL.com, which posted updates, did not have a picture of Brown.

Meatoga was considered to be the Warriors’ top prospect. The Redskins vowed to make a free-agent offer if he was not drafted.

At UH, Meatoga was a defensive tackle who played the two-gap technique similar to a nose tackle’s scheme. "This was the best fit," Meatoga said.

Paredes did well at UH’s pro day on March 5. Some NFL teams projected Paredes as a fullback. The Vikings want Paredes to compete as a middle linebacker. He will be reunited with former UH linebacker Solomon Elimimian, who played in Canada the past two years.

It was Masch’s quickness (4.9 seconds over 40 yards) and versatility (he played defensive end and defensive tackle at UH) that attracted interest from the Seahawks and Miami Dolphins.

Masch pondered both offers before deciding the Seahawks were a better match.

"I’m excited for the opportunity," Masch said.