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It's safe to say that the NFL Draft didn't go exactly as planned for Kentucky quarterback Andre Woodson.
First, he had to wait until the end of the sixth round to hear his name called, and then he was drafted by a team that hadn't been on his radar leading up to the draft.
Woodson became the 198th overall pick, by the defending Super Bowl champion New York Giants on Sunday. He was the 32nd selection of the sixth round.
The Giants already have four quarterbacks under contract: Super Bowl MVP Eli Manning, former No. 1 overall pick David Carr, former UK quarterback Jared Lorenzen, and journeyman Anthony Wright.
Lorenzen was a backup for Manning last year, and Carr signed a free-agent contract with the Giants in the off-season.
Woodson said last week that the teams that had shown him the most pre-draft interest were Atlanta, Carolina, Tampa Bay, Detroit, Miami, Chicago and Minnesota.
Woodson ended up being the third UK player selected. Tight end Jacob Tamme and wide receiver Keenan Burton went back-to-back in the fourth round. Tamme was the overall 127th pick, by the Indianapolis Colts, while Burton went 128th to the St. Louis Rams.
Woodson couldn't immediately be reached for comment.
The 6-foot-4, 240-pound Tamme goes to a Colts' offense that is tight-end-friendly. And he fits the mold of current tight end Dallas Clark, a 6-foot-3, 252-pounder who caught 58 passes for 616 yards and 11 touchdowns.
The Colts' other pass-catching tight end, Ben Utecht, left for Cincinnati in the off-season. The Colts still have tight end Bryan Fletcher under contract and also drafted a tight end (Virginia's Tom Santi) in the sixth round. Tamme will also get to play with one of the all-time great quarterbacks in Peyton Manning.
"They utilize a guy with my skill set a lot in their offense, and it's great to also have a chance to compete for a championship," Tamme said. "I've been lucky enough to play with Andre; to have a chance to play with a guy like Peyton Manning, that's awesome."
Tamme will report to Indianapolis for minicamp Friday.
Burton joins a St. Louis offense that needs immediate help at receiver after parting ways with veteran Isaac Bruce, and he will head to minicamp May 9. The Rams drafted University of Houston receiver Donnie Avery in the second round.
"Getting the call is a feeling I'll never forget," Burton said. "If I had to wait (until the fourth round), I was hoping and praying it would be St. Louis. I think I can come in and play next year."
UK's other standout receiver, Steve Johnson, was selected in the seventh round by the Buffalo Bills at No. 224.
Sunday capped a difficult draft process for Woodson. At midseason, when UK had cracked the Top 10, he was viewed as a Heisman candidate and first-round pick.
But the Wildcats lost four of their next five regular-season games. And scouts began to question Woodson's delivery and mechanics after he struggled in Senior Bowl practices.
Woodson was the 11th QB selected, behind Boston College's Matt Ryan, Delaware's Joe Flacco, Louisville's Brian Brohm, Michigan's Chad Henne, San Diego State's Kevin O'Connell, USC's John David Booty, Oregon's Dennis Dixon, San Diego's Josh Johnson, Tennessee's Erik Ainge and Hawaii's Colt Brennan.
Scott signs with Titans
Guard/center Eric Scott was signed to a free-agent deal by the Tennessee Titans. Linebacker Wesley Woodyard and running back Rafael Little also went undrafted but are expected to sign free-agent contracts.
