Four Players Sign Free Agent Deals with NFL Teams
4/28/2005 12:00:00 AM | Football
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Four members of the University of Michigan football program will fulfill their aspirations of playing in the National Football League after signing rookie free agent contracts following this past weekend's 2005 NFL Draft. This quartet will join the three Wolverines selected in the first 33 selections of the draft.
Safety Ernest Shazor (Detroit, Mich./Martin Luther King HS) signed a deal with the Arizona Cardinals, outside linebacker Roy Manning (Saginaw, Mich./Saginaw HS) inked a contract with the Green Bay Packers and cornerback Markus Curry (Detroit, Mich./Bishop Gallagher HS) reached a contract agreement with the San Diego Chargers. Fullback Kevin Dudley (Brookville, Ind./Franklin County HS) signed an offer with the Atlanta Falcons.
Shazor appeared in 35 career games for the Wolverines, collecting 166 tackles (125 solo), three sacks, 19 tackles for loss, five forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries. He also had four interceptions, including one returned 88 yards for a touchdown against Miami (Ohio). He started every game at strong safety last season, leading 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. Shazor earned consensus All-America honors for his play in 2004. He will join former Wolverine quarterback John Navarre on the Cardinals.
Curry accumulated 119 tackles, three tackles for loss, one fumble recovery, seven interceptions and 25 pass breakups during his career. He tallied a career-high 11 tackles, one TFL and three pass breakups in the 2004 Rose Bowl game against Southern California. Curry played in his 41st career game when the Wolverines faced Texas in the 2005 Rose Bowl game and finished his career with 21 starts in the secondary. He joins former Wolverine center David Brandt on the Chargers.
Dudley rushed three times for 13 yards and caught five passes for 32 yards in the 2004 season, all career highs, but his blocking helped provide the Wolverines with a 1,000-yard rusher for the third straight season. As a starter the past two seasons, Dudley paved for way for two of the top seven single-season rushing performances in school history, Chris Perry's 1,674-yard output in 2003 (fourth-best) and freshman Mike Hart's 1,455-yard rushing performance (seventh-best) this season. Dudley played in 36 career games and made 20 starts at fullback. He will join former Wolverine Dave Pearson on the Falcons, and ironically, will help block for former Michigan State running backs T.J. Duckett and DeAndra Cobb.
Manning became a starter for the first time in 2004 and ended the season with a career-best 39 tackles, including six tackles for loss. He joins recently re-signed former Wolverine safety Julius Curry, Markus' brother, on the Packers.
Other senior members of the Michigan football program may still sign free agent contracts.
Media Contacts: David Ablauf, Jim Schneider (734) 763-4423
