Tempe, AZ – The Arizona Cardinals have supplemented their seven-player 2005 draft class by agreeing to contract terms with 12 rookie free agents.
Tight end Adam Bergen from Lehigh was an All-American first team pick by the NFL Draft Report, Associated Press, American Football Coaches Association and the Sports Network as a senior in 2004. He led the Mountain Hawks and was fourth in all of the Patriot League with 54 catches for 634 yards (11.7 avg.) and eight touchdowns. He led all NCAA Division I-AA tight ends in both receptions and receiving yards last season.
Another tight end, John Bronson from Penn State is a converted defensive end who made the switch to tight end for the 2004 season. The fifth-year senior had four catches for 16 yards and one touchdown in nine games played last season. Previously, Bronson played in 29 games on defense collecting 78 tackles along with six sacks.
Defensive tackle Tim Bulman from Boston College appeared in 49 games with 21 starts over his four seasons for the Eagles, collecting 160 tackles (111 solos) with 10.5 sacks, 38 tackles for loss, 36 quarterback pressures along with two fumble recoveries.
Quarterback Tim Chang from Hawaii was a four-year starter (53 starts) for the Warriors breaking numerous school, WAC and NCAA Division I-A records along way. The St. Louis, Hawaii native finished his collegiate career by becoming the all-time NCAA passing and total offense leader with 1,388 completions in 2,436 attempts (57.0 avg.) for 17,072 yards. His 117 touchdowns place him second in the NCAA record books only behind BYU’s Ty Detmer (121). Last year he set a school record with 178 consecutive passes without an interception and ranked third in the nation with an average of 328.7 yards per game in total offense.
Virginia cornerback Isaiah Ekejiuba (pronounced “eck-ah- JOO-buh”) was a special teams standout for the Cavaliers who joined the team as a walk-on in the spring of 2002 as a receiver. In two seasons with Virginia he recorded 15 tackles (nine solo) on defense in addition to playing on the kickoff, kickoff return and punt return units.
Cornerback Jermaine Hardy finished his four-year career at Virginia with 203 tackles (148), fifth in school history in by a defensive back. He switched to safety from corner prior to his junior season in 2003 and started the last 25 games of his career. In 2001 was one of only six true freshmen to letter for UVA. Last season, he had 50 tackles (34 solos), 4 pass deflections and 1 fumble recovery.
Wide receiver Carlyle Holiday led Notre Dame in punt returns with 29 for 314 yards in 2004 after switching from quarterback in 2003. He started 12 games at quarterback in 2003 and led the Irish to a 9-3 mark in the games he started completing 129 of 257 pass attempts for 1788 yards, 10 touchdowns and five interceptions.
Connecticut defensive end Tyler King finished his collegiate career by starting in 37 of his final 39 games collecting 165 tackles (103 solos), 19 sacks, 37.5 tackles for loss, 51 quarterback pressures, 2 forced fumbles and 1 recovered fumble. The 19 sacks rank fourth in school annuals. In 2004, King earned team MVP honors finishing with 27 tackles (12 solos) 3.5 sacks, and 8 quarterback pressures.
North Carolina State cornerback and kickoff returner Lamont Reid collected 25 tackles and one interception in 2004 on defense while leading the Wolfpack in kickoff return yards with 212 yards on seven kickoff returns. He finished his career with 125 tackles, 3 interceptions and 31 pass deflections.
Northern Arizona running back Roger Robinson led NAU with 276 carries for 1,108 yards and seven touchdowns as a junior before rushing for 907 yards last season with seven touchdowns. He totaled 1,711 all-purpose yards (155.5 per game), the best total in the Big Sky Conference, ninth nationally in NCAA I-AA and seventh on the school single-season charts in 2004.
Wide receiver Dan Sheldon from Northern Illinois was a threat during his college career not only as a wideout but also as a punt returner. During his collegiate career, Sheldon appeared in 33 games (24 starts) collecting, 3,477 all purpose yards (105.4 yard avg.) with 94 receptions for 1,986 yards (21.1 yard avg.) and 18 touchdowns. He also returned 57 punts for 1,021 yards (17.9 avg.) and four touchdowns and had 13 kickoff returns for 245 yards (18.8 avg.) He holds seven school punt return records, led NCAA I-A in punt return average (22.7 avg.) in 2002 and was named the Mid American Special Teams Player of the Year on 2002. His four career punt returns for touchdowns were for 90, 80, 73, and 68 yards. In 2004 he had 39 receptions for 919 yards and nine touchdowns along with 22 punt returns for 368 yards and one touchdown.
Michigan strong safety Ernest Shazor appeared in 35 games for the Wolverines collecting 166 tackles (125 solos), three sacks, 19 tackles for loss, five forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries. He also had four interceptions including one returned for a touchdown. The former Martin Luther King High School product (Detroit, MI) was an All-American first-team selection by the NFL Draft Report, Walter Camp Foundation, Associated Press, Football Writers Association and College Football News last season. He started every game at strong safety, led the team with a career high 84 tackles and was a finalist for the Jim Thorpe Award given to the nation’s top defensive back
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