NATCHEZ — When Lee Robinson’s mom dropped him off at the airport at 4 a.m., she could see a young man who was excited about his future.

The Denver Broncos are excited about Robinson’s future as well.

The Broncos signed the Alcorn State senior linebacker as an undrafted free agent on Monday.

But for Denver, getting ahold of Robinson on the phone was bit of an ordeal.

“It must have been 6 or 7 (p.m. Sunday) night, and Denver called me and said they were trying to get in touch with my son,” Robinson’s mother, Annie Dupree said. “I called him because I had the number to the house he was at, and I told him, ‘Junior, Denver has been trying to call you all day.’”

Robinson’s mom had been text messaging him as they watched the draft for two days waiting to see his name on the TV screen, and she said he was patient the whole time.

But he was certainly excited when he called her back to tell her the good news.

“He said, ‘Yeah, Mom, they want me,’” Dupree said. “And he said, ‘Thank God, I feel so much better.’ I told him, “See, have I ever told you anything wrong?’ I told him, ‘One thing I know about God, if he brings you to it he’ll bring you through it.’”

Robinson flew to Denver Thursday to participate in a Saturday workout, and he’ll be back this summer for camp.

And Dupree said his confidence was already showing as he arrived at the airport.

“When he got out (of the car) he seemed very excited and very happy,” she said. “He just said, ‘I’m going to show them what I got. They all think if I come from a small school I ain’t got it, but I’m going to show them. I’m going to shine Saturday and I’m going to shine in camp.’”

Dupree said her late husband, Lee Robinson Sr., was instrumental in instilling a love of sports in their son.

And now that his dream is being fulfilled, neither she nor her son could be happier.

“He’s moving forward with his dream,” she said. “I’m overwhelmed. I’m so excited about him going to the next level. Everything’s going to work out for him — I can feel it.”

And the distance from Dupree’s home in Louisiana to Denver won’t be enough to keep her from watching her son play.

She said kids, including Robinson, seem to be more motivated when they have family in the stands.

“It won’t be any problem for me to get up there (to see him),” she said. “I play to be there every Sunday he has a game.”