By Bill Coats
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
Tuesday, May. 01 2007
The Rams have supplemented their eight draft picks by signing or agreeing to
terms with at least 16 rookie free agents. Although the team has not released
the names, the Post-Dispatch learned of 12 through various sources Monday:
— Wide receiver Lamart Barrett (6 feet, 191 pounds), North Carolina State
— Tight end Steve Buches (6-4, 251), Pittsburgh
— Free safety Jeffrey Dukes, (6-2, 199), Alabama
— Safety Andre Kirkland (6-1, 205), Kent State
— Fullback Brad Lau (6-0, 237), Boise State
— Kicker Kevin Lovell (5-10, 165), Cincinnati
— Linebacker Kevin "Boo" McLee (6-1, 244), West Virginia
— Wide receiver Nate Morton (6-2, 210), Wake Forest
— Quarterback Drew Tate (5-11, 200), Iowa
— Guard David Thompson (6-3, 310), Massachusetts
— Cornerback Darius Vinnett (5-8, 170), Arkansas
— Defensive end Ryan Willis (6-3, 270), Louisiana State
Of that group, Tate probably is the most recognizable, and perhaps the most
intriguing. When he left Lee High in Baytown, Texas, he held state records for
completions (970), attempts (1,576), passing yards (12,180) and touchdown
passes (113).
Tate was a big hit early in his career at Iowa. The Hawkeyes won a share of the
Big Ten Conference championship in 2004, his sophomore year. Tate capped that
10-2 season with a 56-yard, last-second touchdown pass, giving Iowa a 30-25
victory over defending national champion Louisiana State in the Capital One
Bowl.
The Hawkeyes slipped to 7-5 in 2005, then finished 6-7 last year with Tate
injured much of the season. "I've never missed a football practice in my life
until this year," Tate told reporters. "It was horrible. For all the years I
missed getting hurt, it all just came down to this year."
Still, Tate wound up his career as one of the most productive quarterbacks in
Iowa history: second in passing yards (8,018), completions (650), attempts
(1,065), touchdown passes (59) and total offense (8,143), and third in
completion percentage (61.0).
The Rams are set at quarterback, with
Marc Bulger as the starter and veteran
Gus Frerotte as his backup. Although Tate might wind up as nothing more than a
"camp arm" this summer, a strong showing would help him challenge Ryan
Fitzpatrick for the No. 3 spot on the roster.
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