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The Ravens plucked a gem out of the 10-player tryout they held during last week's rookie camp, as linebacker **Tony Fein** signed a free agent contract on Thursday.
Baltimore also released quarterback Drew Willy and linebacker/defensive end Luis Vasquez.
Fein was a college teammate of fellow rookies Michael Oher and **Jason Cook** at the University of Mississippi.
The 6-foot-3, 245-pounder brings toughness and a unique view to the linebacking corps. Fein, who turns 27 in July, is older than most vying to earn their first roster spot in the NFL.
Fein played quarterback at South Kitsap High School in Port Orchard, Wash., but enlisted in the Army at 19, eventually serving 2 ½ years. Some of that time was spent in Iraq.
By the time Fein decided he wanted to get back to football, he was too big to play quarterback, so he converted to linebacker after enrolling at Scottsdale Community College in Arizona. The change was so successful that Fein became a junior college All-American and drew interest from multiple NCAA powerhouses.
Fein went on to play in 24 contests for Ole Miss, totaling 136 tackles and 8.0 tackles for loss at middle linebacker.
At the Rebels' Pro Day, Fein posted an impressive 29 repetitions on the 225-pound bench press and ran the 40-yard dash in 4.65 seconds.
Fein will wear No. 45 and compete for a spot behind Ray Lewis and **Tavares Gooden**, the Ravens' two starters at inside linebacker.
