3:31 AM ET
  • Rob DemovskyESPN Staff Writer
     
GREEN BAY, Wis. -- As a kid, Kyle Steuck parked his bike outside of the Green Bay Packers' training camp practices, hoping a player picked him for the traditional ride to and from practice.
On Sunday, Steuck found himself on the other side of the fence. The rookie offensive linemen who grew up here and went to high school 4.9 miles from Lambeau Field signed with his hometown team on Saturday and made his practice debut the next day. \

"Growing up in Green Bay, it's kind of the big thing," Steuck said. "You go and watch practices as a kid and ask for someone to grab your bike, and then today I was the one doing that. It was a dream come true."

There was such a crowd of local media around him in the auxiliary area of the Packers' locker room, where the undrafted players change, that several players wondered what the fuss was all about until first-year tight end Casey Pierce informed them that Steuck is "from here."

"I talked to him this morning and I just told, 'Take it all in, man. You're going to feel overwhelmed a little bit, but just take a step back and soak it all in,'" said rookie punter Peter Mortell, who's also from Green Bay. "I think it's cool. Hopefully it inspires other Green Bay kids. I know Kyle and I are living every Green Bay kid's dream right now. It's cool that you can have a couple of local guys on the team and gives those kids hope."

As unusual it is to have an NFL team in a city of 104,057 people, it's even more rare than anyone from there gets a shot.

"I think it's a little bit funny because we went, I think, the first eight years we didn't have anybody from Wisconsin, the state of Wisconsin, particularly the university," Packers coach Mike McCarthy said. "Now it's like an overflow. I think it's great. I mean, gosh, to have an opportunity to play with your hometown team and the uniqueness of growing up in this city with the Packers here, I mean it's obviously special. It's an opportunity hopefully he takes full advantage of."

Like Steuck, who played at Northern Michigan University, Mortell hung around the Packers as a kid. Mortell's grandfather served as the Lambeau Field clock operator during games and his father does it now.

"How cool is that?" Mortell said watching Steuck talk to reporters. "I'm happy for him."

The Packers brought in Steuck after injuries decimated their center spot. In addition to starter Corey Linsley, who remains on the physically unable to perform list because of a hamstring injury, Matt Rotheram (biceps) and Jacob Flores (knee) also have dropped out of practice. JC Tretter and Don Barclay shared the center snaps in Friday's preseason game against the Browns.
Steuck participated in the Packers' rookie minicamp in May on a tryout basis, but until he was signed on Saturday, he had been student teaching at nearby Ashwaubenon High School and just started to help coach at his alma mater, West De Pere High School, while working out at a local training center, Synergy Sports, less than three miles away from Lambeau Field. 

"A dream come true," Steuck said. "You dream about going through that tunnel, and you sit in the stands watching it, wondering what it must feel like, and then idolizing those guys. Then I finally get to run out of the tunnel myself."