MACOMB, Ill., July 29 (UPI) -- The St. Louis Rams Tuesday signed their first-round draft pick, agreeing to a five-year deal with defensive tackle Jimmy Kennedy.
Financial terms were not disclosed.
Kennedy, originally thought to be a top-five pick, saw his stock drop on draft day and ended up behind taken with the 12th overall pick.
In his final collegiate season at Penn State, t native of Yonkers, N.Y., was an All-Big Ten selection. The 6-4, 322-pounder had 87 tackles, 16 for losses, 5 1/2 sacks, and three passes defended.
Kennedy showed up at Penn State in 1998 weighing more than 400 pounds and was redshirted. He had 14 career sacks in four seasons.
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported Tuesday that one of the first assessments to be made of Kennedy at the team's training camp site at Macomb, Ill., is his conditioning.
The paper said he was not in great shape during the team's rookie and full-squad minicamps in May, and missed most of both camps after tweaking his knee.
