The Atlanta Falcons announced today that they have signed 13 college free agents to the roster.
Signed were: DL Noland Burchette (Virginia Tech), P Gordon Ely–Kelso (Georgia), OL Renardo Foster (Louisville), S Jeramie Johnson (Mississippi State), WR Vincent Marshall (Houston), WR Eric Newman (Louisiana Tech), DL David Patterson (Ohio State), OL Kurt Quarterman (Louisville), DL Kelly Talavou (Utah), LB Tony Taylor (Georgia), RB Justin Vincent (LSU), WR Eric Weems (Bethune–Cookman), and LS Ryan West (Tennessee).
Burchette, 6–2, 263 pounds, started 29 out of 51 games played at Virginia Tech on the defensive line, registering 137 tackles with 10.5 sacks, 55 QB pressures and 17.5 stops behind the line of scrimmage.
Ely–Kelso, 6–0, 238 pounds, averaged 39.6 yards per punt while dropping 13 punts inside the 20 yard line for Georgia in 2006. He also kicked one field goal and four extra points for a total of seven points scored as a senior.
Foster, 6–7, 325 pounds, helped anchor a Louisville offensive line that opened holes for an offense to score 491 points, rush for 2,409 yards (185.3 average per game) and pass for 3,770 yards (290 average per game) in 2006 en route to a BCS Bowl bid and a victory at the Orange Bowl.
Johnson, 5–10, 209 pounds, recorded 222 career tackles with seven interceptions for the Bulldogs of Mississippi State. Johnson was born in Atlanta, Ga. and hails from Booker T. Washington High School.
Marshall, 5–7, 165 pounds, was Houston's leading receiver last year, catching 80 passes from QB Kevin Kolb (second round draft pick by Philadelphia) for 979 yards with eight touchdowns.
Newman, 5–11, 195 pounds, finished his career at Louisiana Tech with 104 receptions for 1,608 yards with 14 touchdowns as he led the team in receiving in each of his last two seasons. Newman also returned 66 kickoffs for 1,418 yards for a 21.5 career average.
Patterson, 6–1, 274 pounds, started 24 of 44 games at Ohio State at defensive end/tackle, recording 72 tackles with eight sacks and 17 stops for losses.
Quarterman, 6–5, 328 pounds, was part of an offensive line that helped Louisville gain 2,409 yards rushing and 3,770 yards passing in 2006 for a team that claimed a BCS Orange Bowl win.
Talavou, 6–1, 329 pounds, registered 47 tackles, including eight for losses, with three sacks in 2006 for Utah.
Taylor, 6–0, 236 pounds, was a starter in 35 out of 49 games played at linebacker for Georgia, finishing with 272 career tackles. Taylor was an All–SEC second–team selection in 2006 for the Bulldogs as he led the team with a career–high 96 tackles and set a school–record with a team–high seven interceptions.
Vincent, 5–10, 219 pounds, gained 2,030 career rushing yards with 17 touchdowns at LSU. Vincent had his best rushing game of his career against Georgia in the 2003 SEC Championship Game at the Georgia Dome with 201 yards rushing. Vincent also set an LSU freshman record that same year with 1,001 total yards on the ground as he helped the Tigers to a 13–1 record and a national title.
Weems, 5–8, 182 pounds, ended his career at Bethune–Cookman with the sixth–most touchdowns scored in a single–season in MEAC history with 10 scores in 2006.
West, 6–0, 262 pounds, was the designated long snapper for Tennessee over the past two seasons.
