Eagles top pick signs 5-year deal

By John Onan  |   Tuesday, July 26, 2005  |  Comments( 0 )

Philadelphia Eagles
Got something to say?

Sign Up and be the first to comment on this article!
While dealing with the ever-changing Terrell Owens, the Eagles did accomplish contract harmony with one player on Monday, as they agreed on a deal with their top pick in the NFL Draft, defensive tackle Mike Patterson from USC. The deal is worth approximately $6.6 million over the next five years.

Patterson, a 6-foot 285 pound lineman was selected with the 31st overall selection, making him the 3rd overall DT taken in the draft, and the first by the Eagles in the opening round since Cory Simon in 2000. Patterson was a three-year starter for the USC Trojans where he finished his career there with 146 tackles, 21 ½ sacks, and a school-record 13 fumble recoveries. He is expected to step right into defensive coordinator Jim Johnson's rotation of linemen.

Mike Patterson could become extremely valuable to the defense if DT Corey Simon is a no-show at camp as expected. Third-year man Sam Rayburn is listed at the top of the depth chart for Simon's job, but with Patterson now slated for camp that could change quickly.

The Philadelphia Eagles have now signed all but two of their draft choices. Also on Monday, the team signed sixth-round pick Calvin Armstrong, an offensive lineman from Washington State, and seventh-round choice David Bergeron, a linebacker out of Stanford. Terms of these two deals were not immediately disclosed.
The Eagles report for training camp this Friday.
Got something to say?

Sign Up and be the first to comment on this article! (0)

Article Tools Share!   |  RSS  |  Bleacher Report About Bleacher Report