SMITHFIELD, R.I. – The New England Patriots acquired rookie wide receiver Dane Looker from the St. Louis Rams today in exchange for an undisclosed draft choice.
Looker, 24, originally signed with the St. Louis Rams as a rookie free agent on April 17, following the 2000 NFL draft. The 6-foot, 193-pound receiver started 13 of 21 games and caught 84 passes for 949 yards and five touchdowns in two seasons at Washington after transferring from Western Washington. In 1998, he caught 64 passes for 662 yards and five touchdowns. He scored two of his five touchdowns in his Husky debut against Arizona State.
The Puyallup, Wash. native attended Puyallup High and earned first-team all-state honors as a wide receiver after scoring 18 touchdowns and amassing 916 yards receiving on just 50 receptions during his senior year.
In his NFL debut with the Rams on last Saturday, Aug. 5, he caught a team-high three passes for 26 yards. He is the first player acquired in a trade by the Patriots since Aug. 25, 1996 when they acquired long snapper Mike Bartrum from the Green Bay Packers for past considerations.