Rams, Carriker agree to 5-year deal
July 27th, 2007 | by Kevin Morris |
Rams’ first-round draft pick Adam Carriker was expected to be on the practice
field Friday, hours after agreeing to a five-year contract.
Terms were not disclosed. Rams spokesman Rick Smith said the deal was
reached early Friday, before the first workout of training camp.
Carriker played defensive end at Nebraska, where he was the Big 12 defensive
lineman of the year as a senior, leading the Cornhuskers with seven sacks. He
is expected to move to defensive tackle for the Rams, who have struggled in
recent years at that position.
The Rams said they like Carriker’s energy and compare him to another
high-motor Nebraska product, Grant Wistrom, who starred on the St. Louis teams
that won the Super Bowl in 2000 and went to another one in 2002.
Prior to selecting Carriker with the 13th overall pick in April, St. Louis
also chose defensive tackles Ryan Pickett and Damione Lewis with first-round
picks in 2001 and Jimmy Kennedy with a first-round pick in 2003. Only Kennedy
remains on the roster.
The signing of Carriker means that all the Rams’ draft picks are under
contract as the team begins its second season under coach Scott Linehan. St.
Louis was 8-8 in 2006.
