April 28, 2008
COLLEGE PARK, Md. -
One day after the conclusion of the 2008 NFL Draft, six former University of Maryland football players signed free-agent contracts.
OL Andrew Crummey (San Diego), DL Carlos Feliciano (New England), DB Isaiah Gardner (Jacksonville), TE Joey Haynos (Green Bay), LB Erin Henderson (Minnesota) and RB Keon Lattimore (Dallas) all agreed to deals Monday, according to each of the players.
Defensive tackle Dre Moore was chosen Sunday with the 16th pick in the fourth round (115th overall) by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Randy Starks was the last Terrapin defensive lineman to get drafted. He was taken by Tennessee in the third round of the 2003 NFL Draft.
Following the 2007 NFL Draft, five Terps signed free-agent contracts with four (Conrad Bolston, Stephon Heyer, Sam Hollenbach and David Holloway) either making a roster or spending time on a practice squad.
Crummey will be among those trying to duplicate that feat. He was rated among the top guards in the nation last season, but missed much of 2007 with a fractured left fibula. Crummey went on to reinjure the leg in the 2008 East-West Shrine game.
Despite playing in just eight games last season, Crummey was a second-team All-America choice by The Sporting News and a third-team selection by the Associated Press.
Henderson was a semifinalist for the 2008 Butkus Award, honoring the top linebacker in the nation. The two-time All-Atlantic Coast Conference choice led the league and ranked ninth nationally in tackles (11.1 per game).
The Aberdeen, Md., native posted 247 career tackles, despite just two seasons in uniform. He missed the entire 2005 campaign with a knee injury and had one year of eligibility remaining.
Henderson joins his brother, E.J., with the Vikings. E.J. Henderson was a second-round choice of Minnesota in the 2003 NFL Draft.
Feliciano was a run-stuffer who played in 41 career games, including 20 starts, all at defensive tackle. He tallied 42 tackles last season.
Gardner was a two-year starter at cornerback. He ranked tied for seventh in the ACC and 72nd in the nation in passes defended (0.92 pg) last season. He had 69 tackles and a team-best 10 pass breakups.
Haynos played in 43 career games after walking on in 2003. He had 68 career receptions and four touchdowns. The Rockville, Md., native played in the 2008 Cornerstone Hula Bowl.
Lattimore was one of the top running backs in school history. He finished his career 14th on the Terps' all-time rushing yards list (1,744). He also played in the 2008 Hula Bowl after earning honorable mention All-ACC honors last season.
RB Lance Ball, TE Jason Goode, DB J.J. Justice, DL Jermaine Lemons and DB Christian Varner are among the former players hoping to catch on with a team as many will hold minicamps and tryouts this weekend.
