Rookie tight ends compete for jobs

~ Draft picks Klopfenstein and Byrd get first taste of NFL at minicamp.

ST. LOUIS -- The St. Louis Rams went into this year's draft wanting to improve the tight end position. They certainly invested a lot of resources in that goal.

The Rams drafted Colorado's Joe Klopfenstein in the second round and Dominique Byrd of USC in the third round. Feeling good about those choices, they traded starting tight end Brandon Manumaleuna to San Diego on the second day of the draft.

The two rookies, who are roommates, figure to be in the mix for the starting job.

"This is real exciting for me," Klopfenstein said Sunday, the second day of the Rams minicamp for rookies, selected first-year players and free agents. "I'm really happy to be here and I just want to get out there and play."

At 6-foot-5 and 251 pounds, Klopfenstein has impressive quickness with 4.53 speed. He caught 13 touchdown passes for the Buffaloes, a school record for tight ends, and had 86 career receptions for 1,076 yards.

"The thing about this young man is that he is a very productive player," said Linehan. "He has natural hands and he is an excellent blocker."

Byrd, a 6-2, 260-pounder, had 81 receptions for 968 yards in his career at USC -- a career marked by injuries that included a fractured right kneecap, sustained in a pickup basketball game. He also underwent arthroscopic surgery to remove torn cartilage in a toe.

The three-day minicamp wraps up with one practice today.