Josh Thompson has found a team — or perhaps a team has found Josh Thompson.
The former Statesboro Blue Devil and Auburn Tiger was signed as a free agent late Sunday evening by the St. Louis Rams.
Thompson, a 6-foot, 300-pound defensive lineman, went undrafted this past weekend during the NFL draft. That didn’t stop his phone from ringing and a team from ultimately adding him to its list of players.
“(St. Louis) contacted me about the sixth round,” said Thompson. “They said they weren’t going to draft me but they’d like to pick me up as a free agent. Then they called me about two minutes after the draft was over and we finalized the deal with my agent. It feels good.”
Thompson led Auburn in tackles in 2007 with 67 playing mostly from the nose guard position. The Rams currently have nine defensive linemen on their depth chart — not including second overall pick Chris Long from Virginia.
“It’s going to be a good fit and I was really happy that they wanted me,” said Thompson. “They only have four d-tackles right now on their active roster so that could be good for me. If I don’t make the team I could make the practice squad and that’d be good, too. There’s a good chance I’ll be in St. Louis for awhile.”
Thompson said he also garnered interest from the Buffalo Bills and Seattle Seahawks. He plans to leave Statesboro on May 8 to attend mini-camp and begin his NFL career.
Chad Bishop can be reached at (912) 489-9408.
The former Statesboro Blue Devil and Auburn Tiger was signed as a free agent late Sunday evening by the St. Louis Rams.
Thompson, a 6-foot, 300-pound defensive lineman, went undrafted this past weekend during the NFL draft. That didn’t stop his phone from ringing and a team from ultimately adding him to its list of players.
“(St. Louis) contacted me about the sixth round,” said Thompson. “They said they weren’t going to draft me but they’d like to pick me up as a free agent. Then they called me about two minutes after the draft was over and we finalized the deal with my agent. It feels good.”
Thompson led Auburn in tackles in 2007 with 67 playing mostly from the nose guard position. The Rams currently have nine defensive linemen on their depth chart — not including second overall pick Chris Long from Virginia.
“It’s going to be a good fit and I was really happy that they wanted me,” said Thompson. “They only have four d-tackles right now on their active roster so that could be good for me. If I don’t make the team I could make the practice squad and that’d be good, too. There’s a good chance I’ll be in St. Louis for awhile.”
Thompson said he also garnered interest from the Buffalo Bills and Seattle Seahawks. He plans to leave Statesboro on May 8 to attend mini-camp and begin his NFL career.
Chad Bishop can be reached at (912) 489-9408.
