Rams make progress on signing draft picks

ST. LOUIS -- The St. Louis Rams have signed eight of their 2010 draft picks and now can turn their attention to the big one -- No. 1 overall pick Sam Bradford.

The Rams said Monday they have signed all but three of the players chosen in the April draft. Terms were not disclosed.

Those signing contracts included cornerback Jerome Murphy (third round), wide receiver Mardy Gilyard (fourth round), tight end Michael Hoomanawanui and defensive end Hall Davis (fifth round), defensive end Eugene Sims (sixth round), and cornerback Marquis Johnson, defensive end George Selvie and linebacker Josh Hull (seventh round).

In addition to Bradford, the Oklahoma quarterback taken with the top pick, unsigned players are second-round offensive tackle Rodger Saffold and sixth-round tight end Fendi Onobun.

Rams coach Steve Spagnuolo said he was pleased to have most of the draft class under contract with training camp still about a month away for a team trying to rebuild. The Rams were an NFL-worst 1-15 in 2009 and have won just six games over the past three seasons.

"Once training camp begins, these rookies can direct all of the focus on football and not be concerned with the business side of things," Spagnuolo said in a statement.

A Rams spokesman only would say that there was nothing new to report concerning negotiations between Bradford and the team.

Murphy, the 65th overall pick, had eight interceptions in four seasons at South Florida. Gilyard, chosen 99th overall, had 204 catches for 3,003 yards and 25 touchdowns at Cincinnati.

Hoomanawanui had 40 catches for 490 yards and four touchdowns in 38 career games at Illinois. He could play tight end or fullback in St. Louis.

Davis (149th overall) was a two-year starter at Louisiana-Lafayette and had 6.5 sacks over his final two seasons. Johnson (211th overall) had 61 career tackles and three interceptions for Alabama.

Sims (189th overall), of West Texas A&M, had seven sacks as a senior and 10 as a junior.

Selvie (226th overall) was a two-time All-American at South Florida, with 29 career sacks and 69.5 tackles for loss. Hull (254th overall) began at Penn State as a walk-on and was fifth in the Big Ten with 116 tackles last season.