LIONS SIGN FOURTH-ROUND DRAFT PICK G MANUEL RAMIREZ
Allen Park, Mich. - The Detroit Lions announced today that they have signed fourth-round draft choice G Manuel Ramirez to a three-year deal. Additional terms of Ramirez' contract were not disclosed.
Ramirez (6-3, 326), was taken by the Lions in the fourth-round (117th overall) in the 2007 NFL Draft out of Texas Tech. Detroit traded two fifth-round choices (139th and 154th overall) to St. Louis to move back up into the fourth round and draft Ramirez, who started all four years of his collegiate career for the Red Raiders.
As a senior last season, Ramirez led a Texas Tech offensive line that only allowed 19 sacks while powering a top-10 offense. He was named a member of the All-Big 12 Conference first team by The NFL Draft Report and the Austin American Statesmen, as well as being named a second-team selection by the Dallas Morning News and honorable mention by the league's coaches.
In 2005 Ramirez was named second team All-Big 12 by the league's coaches, and he was an important part of the top offensive passing unit in the nation. He also showed off his drive blocking ability, as the Red Raiders scored 25 times on the ground, the most by a Texas Tech team since 1996. Ramirez broke the school bench press record he had set in 2004, lifting 550 pounds during spring training.
Ramirez spent the 2004 season as the an integral member of an offensive line that protected first-year starting quarterback Sonny Cumbie as he led the nation in passing. The unit also finished sixth nationally in total offense, with 491.7 yards per game and eighth in scoring with 36.17 points per game.
As a freshman in 2003, Ramirez entered the starting lineup vs. Mississippi and remained there for the final nine games of the season. His blocking helped Texas Tech finish the season averaging 582.77 yards per game of total offense and 42.66 points scored per game.