GREEN BAY — Riding shotgun in Justin Beaver's girlfriend's Mercury Mystique Thursday afternoon, Ken DeBauche found himself thinking about all the times he had made the very same drive between Madison and his hometown of Suamico — starting up on Highway 151, shortcutting on Highway 26 and finishing up on U.S. 41 — by himself over the years.

"I just told Justin, 'I can't even count the number of times I've done this,' " DeBauche said.

But this time, the drive was different. This time, it was a work trip.

The former University of Wisconsin punter was on his way to Friday's opening practice of the Green Bay Packers' post-draft rookie orientation camp. He signed with his hometown NFL team shortly after the draft ended on Sunday.

So while he knew all the ins and outs ("The the first thing I told Justin was not to go 1 mile an hour over 30 in Rosendale") and was enjoying the company ("We thought we'd try to save a little gas money and car pool," he said of Beaver, the former UW-Whitewater running back who will be trying out for the Packers today), DeBauche knew this was more than just a homecoming.

"It's a dream come true," said DeBauche, who attended nearby Bayport High School and whose parents live about 15 minutes from Lambeau Field. "To be honest, this just seems right. I never imagined playing college (football) for anyone other than the University of Wisconsin, and I never saw myself playing for a team other than the Green Bay Packers."

Nothing is guaranteed, of course. Although DeBauche was a second-team All-Big Ten Conference pick as a senior last year and averaged 42.5 yards per punt during his four-year career, he will have to out-kick incumbent Jon Ryan.

And while the Packers released Ryan Dougherty when they signed DeBauche, that doesn't mean he will automatically make it to training camp, let alone win the job.

"It's a foot in the door," DeBauche said. "Not many people get a chance to actually have a shot to make the team, so Justin and I, we're both going into this optimistic. We want to do whatever we can to show the coaches that they should keep us around."

The Packers have liked what they've seen so far. Only one punter was taken in the draft, but the Packers had targeted DeBauche, who also drew pre-draft interest from the New Orleans Saints and St. Louis Rams, as a priority free agent.

Although general manager Ted Thompson attended the Badgers' March 5 pro day, DeBauche couldn't kick outside because of the weather and kept hitting the ceiling of the McClain Center with his punts.

As a local player, though, he was allowed to come to the Packers' facility and work out for them, which he did about a month ago for special teams coordinator Mike Stock and assistant special teams coach Shawn Slocum. Thompson said Stock particularly liked DeBauche's ability to punt directionally.

"Our special teams coaches are very impressed with him," Thompson said when asked if DeBauche would have a chance to unseat Ryan. "We'll see how it goes. We'll see 'em out there together and compete against each other. That's the plan, for us to add competition to that position and see how it works out. We have the spring and summer to see how that goes."

Thompson also said DeBauche's Green Bay ties weren't a factor in his signing.

"If there was a better punter in our eyes that wasn't from Green Bay, we would've signed the other punter," Thompson said. "The fact that he's from Green Bay, it's a nice touch, and I'm sure the high school is fired up, but our ultimate job is to put the best competition out there. While I think it's nice, we don't do it to be nice."

DeBauche admitted he might've been overwhelmed by all this if he hadn't already been inoculated against the "awe factor."

Although he had been to about a dozen Packers games — none during his UW playing career, though, as he was limited to the annual Family Night scrimmage because of the Badgers' camp schedule — seeing his nameplate on a locker in the same room in which legendary quarterback Brett Favre used to be won't be as big of a deal as it might have been had he not attended the team's two playoff games in January.

Plus, he and his former UW roommates and teammates — Cleveland Browns left tackle Joe Thomas, and Badgers special-teamers Ben Strickland, Steve Johnson and Paul Standring — got a behind-the-scenes Lambeau Field tour prior to the NFC divisional playoff against Seattle, so he's been in the locker room a few times.

"We all took pictures in front of Brett's locker," said DeBauche, who also brought his younger brother Brent along. "And then the next time, when I came for the workout, the awe factor was a little less.

"And now, I know I'm not there as a visitor, I'm not there as a tourist. I'm there to punt. It's business now. This is what I want to do for a living. I know what I'm going there for and I know what I need to get done."