Troupe, LaBoy, Odom, Schobel agree to terms

[Slingblade]

NASHVILLE, TN, July 30, 2004 -- The Tennessee Titans have completed contract negotiations with their 13 draft picks, agreeing to terms with all three of their second-round selections – tight end Ben Troupe and defensive ends Travis LaBoy and Antwan Odom – as well fourth-round pick defensive end Bo Schobel.

“Our goal every year is to get all of these done before camp,” said Titans General Manager Floyd Reese. “Having 13 picks this year presented a challenge, but fortunately it’s done. We need these guys to contribute, and we’re excited about seeing them in a training camp and preseason setting.”

Troupe, the team’s top draft choice, was chosen with the 40th overall selection in the draft. He became the highest selection by the team among tight ends since the club chose Mike Barber in the second round in 1976. As a senior at the University of Florida, he was a 2003 finalist for the John Mackey Award, given to the nation’s top tight end, after starting all 13 games and leading the Gators with 39 receptions for 638 yards and five touchdowns. The 6-4, 262-pound tight end also was named first-team All-American by The NFL Draft Report, The Sporting News and Sports Illustrated and earned consensus All-Southeastern Conference honors. In his four-year college career, he played in 39 games with 20 starts and totaled 64 receptions for 958 yards and seven touchdowns.

The 6-3, 253-pound LaBoy, the team’s second selection, was chosen with the 42nd overall pick. After transferring to Hawaii from Utah State, he recorded 24 sacks, 193 tackles, 50 stops for losses, 46 quarterback pressures and two interceptions in 34 career games. As a senior, he was a first-team All-Western Athletic Conference selection and was named WAC Defensive Player of the Year after leading the conference with 13 sacks. He added 76 tackles, 22 tackles behind the line of scrimmage and 16 quarterback pressures.

Odom (6-4, 277), the team’s third pick of the second round and the 57th overall selection in the draft, attended Alabama, where he played in 39 games. Although he entered the NFL with a year of eligibility remaining, Odom’s 21 career sacks tied E.J. Junior for the fifth-most sacks in school history. His totals also included 98 tackles, 26.5 tackles behind the line of scrimmage and 40 quarterback pressures. In his junior campaign, he started every game at right defensive end and tallied 40 tackles, eight sacks, 9.5 tackles for loss and 24 quarterback pressures. As a result, he was honored with the team's Dwight Stephenson Most Valuable Lineman Award.

Schobel, a fourth-round selection and the 103rd overall pick, currently is recuperating from a fracture in his right foot that he suffered during June workouts. The 6-5, 264-pound defensive end started 26 of 37 games during his career at Texas Christian University and recorded 147 tackles and 28.5 sacks, including a school-record 17 as a senior. He also contributed 51 tackles for loss, 12 quarterback pressures, four forced fumbles, four fumble recoveries and four pass deflections during his TCU career.

The team’s first training camp practice is scheduled for Saturday afternoon at 3:30 p.m.