Two Tigers picked, Rams sign another

ST. LOUIS -- Two Missouri players were drafted on Sunday, the second day of the NFL draft, and one who wasn't may have the best chance to stick.

St. Louis Rams coach Mike Martz appeared as excited about quarterback Kirk Farmer, signed after the draft, as the eight players the team selected in the final four rounds of the draft. Farmer lost the starting job last year to redshirt freshman Brad Smith, throwing only 11 passes all season as the backup, but impressed Rams offensive coordinator Steve Fairchild in a March workout.

At the time, the Rams were looking at Missouri wide receiver Justin Gage, taken in the fifth round by the Chicago Bears.

"Not every team probably knows about me," Farmer said. "I'm just thankful they signed me."

Martz said Farmer, who had an injury-plagued career at Missouri with a broken leg in 1999 and a broken collarbone in 2000, has a solid chance to be the Rams' No. 3 quarterback. He would be battling with Scott Covington for that spot.

Gage's decision to concentrate on football and turn his back on basketball paid off when the Bears took him. Gage caught 82 passes for 1,075 yards and nine touchdowns his senior year and totaled 200 catches for 2,704 yards and 18 touchdowns overall.

Another Missouri player, defensive tackle Keith Wright, was taken by the Houston Texans on the last pick of the sixth round. Wright had 92 tackles last year, 24 for losses, and added six sacks.

Gage was a valuable reserve as a junior for the Tigers' basketball team, which could have used him as a senior because it had no depth. But Gage was busy preparing for his football career, adding 12 pounds of muscle and working on his 40-yard dash times.

He also took a semester off of school, leaving him 18 hours shy of a degree.

"I got the chance to focus on football," Gage said from his parents' home in Jefferson City. "That gave me the opportunity to work out full-time."

Gage was hoping to be picked on the first day, so he said it has been a difficult week for him. He was the 143rd overall pick of the draft.

"I'm just glad to be drafted, but I didn't know it would take so long," Gage said. "Time ticks by and rounds tick by and it gets nerve-racking."

The Bears attended two of Gage's workouts, so he knew they were interested.

"That's a team that's rich in tradition," Gage said. "They're building up, and I'm happy to be a part of it."