Jets Sign 14 Rookie Free Agents
The New York Jets announced today the signings of 14 rookie free agents. The announcements were made by Jets' General Manager Mike Tannenbaum.
Players signing their first professional contracts included: DL Darrell Adams (Villanova), DT/OT Tui Alailefaleula (Washington), WR Maurice Avery (Memphis), DE/LB Craig Bailey (Nevada-Reno), T Ed Blanton (UCLA), LB Michael Brown, Jr. (Howard), LB Blake Costanzo (Lafayette), P/K D.J. Fitzpatrick (Notre Dame), WR Deqawn Mobley (Texas A&M), RB DonTrell Moore (New Mexico), DT Brennan Schmidt (Virginia), S Jamie Thompson (Oklahoma State), LB Will Thompson (Georgia) and QB/WR/RB Stacy Tutt (Richmond).
Adams (6-5, 282), is a native of Bay Shore, NY and a graduate of Islip High School on Long Island. He went on to start 38 times over four seasons at Villanova and collected 153 tackles with 13.5 sacks for minus 90 yards, 44 stops for losses of 161 yards and 25 quarterback pressures.
Alailefaleula (6-4, 350), was a four-year letterman for the Washington Huskies, splitting time over the course of his collegiate career between the offensive and defensive lines.
Avery (6-1, 208), was a record-setting wide receiver at Memphis, who unselfishly moved from receiver to quarterback midway through the 2005 season after the Tigers' first two quarterbacks suffered injuries, and guided the Tigers to a 5-2 record as the starting quarterback and a bid to the Motor City Bowl. He also was a contributing member to the nationally ranked Memphis basketball squad.
Bailey (6-4, 265), was a four-year letterman for the Nevada Wolf Pack. He played in 40 career intercollegiate contests, starting 25 of the games, and registered 83 tackles, 18.5 tackles for losses, seven sacks, two fumble recoveries, two forced fumbles and an interception that he returned for a touchdown.
Blanton (6-9, 330), was a three-year starter and four-year letterman for the UCLA Bruins. He was the undisputed leader of the Bruins' nationally ranked squad in 2005, started 36-of-37 games over the last past three seasons and helped Maurice Drew rush for over 1,900 yards in that span.
Brown (6-4, 250), was a four-year letterman for the Howard Bisons and was a mainstay for the nationally ranked Howard program that competes on the NCAA 1-AA level. He played in 35 career games and collected 89 tackles, 31 tackles for losses and 11 sacks.
Costanzo (6-1, 235), is a native of Ramapo, NJ and a graduate of Lafayette College. He was a second-team All-Patriot League selection in both 2004 and 2005 and completed his career for the Lafayette Leopards with 307 tackles and 18 sacks.
Fitzpatrick (6-1, 208), was one of the top dual kicker/punters in college football for Notre Dame. He also earned the starting punter duties midway through the 2003 season and finished his career as one of the most prolific scorers in Notre Dame history with 205 points.
Mobley (6-2, 210), is a native of the Bronx, NY and DeWitt Clinton High School, played in 22 games for the Texas A&M Aggies after transferring from City College of San Francisco. During his two seasons with the Aggies, he made 35 receptions for 546 yards for a 15.6 avg. and three touchdowns.
Moore (5-10, 208), owns University of New Mexico and Mountain West Conference records with 4,973 yards rushing, ranking 13th in NCAA Division 1-A history. He became only the sixth Division 1-A runner to gain over 1,000 yards rushing in each of his four seasons, joining Tony Dorsett of Pittsburgh (1973-76), Amos Lawrence of North Carolina (1977-80), Denvis Manns of New Mexico State (1995-98), Ron Dayne of Wisconsin (1996-99) and Cedric Benson of Texas (2001-04).
Schmidt (6-3, 290), was a four-year starter and two-time team captain (2004-2005) at Virginia who started every game of his career on the collegiate level. He became the first player in school history to start 50 games, starting 51 games in his career and tied an ACC record for most career starts with N.C. State quarterback Philip Rivers and Maryland guard C.J. Brooks.
Jamie Thompson (6-0, 192), was a three-year letterman for the Oklahoma State Cowboys. He began his collegiate career at Butler Community College in Kansas before transferring to OKSU. He finished his collegiate career with 181 career tackles, seven-and-a-half sacks, five passes defensed, four forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries.
Will Thompson (6-3, 255), played in 50 games on the collegiate level for the perennially ranked Bulldogs. He made 37 starts and collected 107 tackles, 24.5 tackles for losses, 14.5 sacks for 110 yards along with an interception, a pass defensed and recovered fumble.
Tutt (6-2, 235), departs the University of Richmond as one of the most explosive offensive players in school history. His 6,872 yards of total offense rank him second all-time in school annals. He finished his career with 5,318 passing yards—the third most in school history, while his 160 points are fourth on the Spiders' career list.
