Allen Park - It was suggested to Brandon Hepburn, the linebacker from Florida A&M the Lions took with their final pick Saturday, that he might be wasting his time playing football.

"Yeah," he said, "I get that a lot."

It's not that Hepburn doesn't have a chance to make an NFL roster. He's an overachieving, multi-dimensional athlete who, if nothing else, can make a good living on special teams.

But he can possibly do more for mankind by pursuing his other passion science. Hepburn, who scored 1400 on his SATs, got his degree in biochemistry and during an internship at North Texas University worked on a team that helped find a way to kill certain cancer cells in rats using copper-loaded nano particles.

"We haven't cured cancer, yet," he said, chuckling. "But we were able to do a lot of great work."

He hopes one day to own his own biochemical company and lead research against deadly diseases.

"But football is my No. 1 dream," he said. "I've always wanted to be in the position I am in now, to live out my dream of playing professional football. At the end of the day, you can't play forever. I hope after a long career I can go into that other aspects of my life."

Position: Inside linebacker

School: Florida A&M

Height/weight: 6-2, 240

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Lions' select future biochemist Brandon Hepburn in seventh round