This Ram Rolls Up His Sleeve to Show Promise : NFL:Troy Drayton’s initials stand for something the team hopes he can deliver this season.

His initials also stand as his nickname and just maybe a promise of what is to come for the Rams.

They are tattooed on his right arm and they adorn the gold stud in his left ear: ‘T.D.”

Touchdown Troy Drayton, the Rams’ No. 2 draft pick, is a 265-pound--and that’s no typographical mistake--pass-catching tight end who can cover 40 yards in less than 4.7 seconds.

He has been the most impressive upon first glance at Ram mini-camp this weekend. He looks like a defensive end and runs like a wide receiver who appears fearless across the middle of the field.

On the first play of practice Friday, Drayton was on the field with the first unit. And they threw to him, and kept throwing to him Saturday. He will play at tight end, he will work as an H-back, he will figure prominently in the Rams’ plans this season.

“Coming out here the first day and immediately being thrown in there told me they really want me to be a part of this offense,” Drayton said. “That’s a compliment, and for it to come from the likes of Chuck Knox and Ernie Zampese, I’ve got to feel pretty good about it.”

There was no such greeting party waiting for Drayton upon his introduction to college four years ago. Low Scholastic Aptitude Test scores made him a poor risk coming out of high school, and although he had caught 51 passes as a wide receiver for Steelton (Pa.) High School, there were no scholarship offers forthcoming.

Penn State Coach Joe Paterno, however, did his homework and discovered Drayton had earned good grades in high school, had qualified for the National Honor Society and was president of his school’s student council.

Paterno talked to Drayton and discovered a bright young man. He offered him the opportunity to walk on at Penn State, and four years later Drayton returned the favor by catching 36 passes for 488 yards.

‘When I didn’t pass the SATs, it put a stigma on me,” Drayton said. “People doubted me. The only way I could change that was to do the academic work and do the best I could playing football. I had something to prove, and I thank Joe Paterno for giving me the opportunity to do it.”

The walk-on at Penn State with the low SAT scores went on to dazzle the NFL scouts, while climbing within one more semester of securing his degree.

“Graduating from Penn State will be the most satisfying thing,” he said. “It won’t just make me proud; it will make my family proud. I’m living proof that there always are other avenues to achieve what you want in life.”

Drayton’s education will continue at Rams Park.

“I really like this guy,” said Zampese, Ram offensive coordinator. “There aren’t many 260-pound-plus tight ends who can run like he can. We’re talking fine speed here, and he definitely can be a deep threat for us.

“He’s very, very athletic and he’s shown a great ability to catch the ball. I think he can also become a fine blocker.”

Tight ends who have the good fortune to work for Zampese are given a tremendous opportunity to catch a lot of passes.

While in San Diego working with Don Coryell, Zampese contributed to the success of tight end Kellen Winslow. At the same time he helped to develop Pete Holohan, and when Zampese left to join the Rams, Holohan soon followed.

Winslow has retired, Holohan has moved on to Cleveland and Zampese and Drayton are just becoming acquainted. Has any rookie tight end ever had as many passes thrown his way in the first two days of mini-camp as Drayton?

“I know Coach Zampese helped make Kellen Winslow the kind of player he was, but I’m not going to say that I’m going to come in here and be the kind of player Kellen or Pete was,” Drayton said. “I hope one day to be at their level, but I know it’s going to take time and a lot of work.

“I look at football this way: How many kids dream of getting the chance to play Division I football and then actually get drafted? You have to work hard, but you also have to be thankful just for the chance to play the game.

“I’ve been blessed with a lot of athletic ability, and now I think the Rams are going to take advantage of it.”

The Rams are hoping the nickname fits.

“The initials are just me, just plain and simple me,” Drayton said. “It’s my name.”

In the NFL, however, T.D. means fame, fortune and success.

“I would like it to mean that eventually,” he said, “but I’m just learning and right now it just stands for Troy Drayton.”