2015 NFL Draft - Pro Football Rumors

Jags Sign A.J. Cann, Lock Up Draft Class

June 17th, 2015 at 12:03pm CST by Luke Adams

The Jaguars have signed third-round offensive lineman A.J. Cann, the last of the team’s 2015 draft picks to officially ink his rookie contract, the team announced today (via Twitter). With Cann under contract, Jacksonville becomes the 27th club to finish locking up its draft class.

Cann, the 67th overall pick in this year’s draft, was one of a handful of players selected at the start of the third round who had yet to sign their contracts heading into June minicamps. Raiders tight end Clive Walford, the 68th overall pick, put pen to paper yesterday. Meanwhile, Colts cornerback D’Joun Smith (No. 65) and Titans offensive lineman Jeremiah Poutasi (No. 66) remain unsigned.

According to Over the Cap’s data, Cann will get a four-year contract of about $3.082MM, including a signing bonus worth just shy of $802K. He’ll count for approximately $635K against Jacksonville’s cap for the 2015 league year.

Now that the Jaguars have finished signing their draftees, only the Colts, Patriots, Giants, Raiders, and Titans need to do the same, per our tracker.

Packers Sign Damarious Randall

June 16th, 2015 at 4:03pm CST by Luke Adams

The Packers have become the latest team to sign their first-round pick, according to Adam Caplan of ESPN.com, who reports (via Twitter) that Green Bay has locked up safety Damarious Randall. With Randall now officially under contract, the Packers have secured all eight of their 2015 draft picks.

Randall, the 30th overall pick out of Arizona State, will be in line for a four-year contract worth about $7.916MM, including a $4MM+ signing bonus, per Over the Cap’s data. Since he’s a first-round pick, Randall will also have a fifth-year option for 2019 on his rookie deal, giving the Packers the opportunity to lock him up for an extra year.

Prior to 2014, the Packers hadn’t selected a defensive back in the first round of the draft since 2004 (cornerback Ahmad Carroll) and hadn’t tabbed a safety in the first round since 1999 (Antuan Edwards). However, in the last two years, the Packers have taken safeties with both of their first-round picks — this year’s selection of Randall follows last year’s pick of Ha Ha Clinton-Dix.

Now that Randall has signed, Marcus Mariota (Titans), Ereck Flowers (Giants), and Malcom Brown (Patriots) are the only first-round picks who have yet to ink their rookie contracts.

Rams Sign Todd Gurley, Entire Draft Class

June 12th, 2015 at 4:02pm CST by Luke Adams

As expected, the Rams have signed their entire 2015 draft class in one fell swoop, according to Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, who tweets that first-round running back Todd Gurley and seven other draftees have inked their rookie contracts with the club.

The only Rams draft pick who had previously signed his deal was sixth-round wideout Bud Sasser, who wasn’t physically cleared to play for the team due to a heart condition. St. Louis signed him to his rookie contract, ensuring he’d get his signing bonus, then waived him. Here’s the full list of the remaining Rams draftees who are now under contract with the club:

1-10: Todd Gurley, RB (Georgia)
2-57: Rob Havenstein, T (Wisconsin)
3-72: Jamon Brown, T (Louisville)
3-89: Sean Mannion, QB (Oregon State)
4-119: Andrew Donnal, T (Iowa)
6-215: Cody Wichmann, G (Fresno State)
7-224: Bryce Hager, LB (Baylor)
7-227: Martin Ifedi, DE (Memphis)

Gurley’s four-year deal will, of course, be the most lucrative of the bunch, with a signing bonus worth about $8.313MM and an overall value of $13.823MM, per Over The Cap. The contract for the 10th overall pick will also be the only one that features a fifth-year option, allowing the Rams to lock up the running back for the 2019 season.

While most teams announce their signings in bunches in the weeks following the draft, the Rams make a habit of waiting until mid-June to confirm their rookie deals. Head coach Jeff Fisher has said in previous years that he likes to make sure his newcomers are educated on financial planning before they sign their first NFL contracts.

Falcons Sign Vic Beasley

June 12th, 2015 at 3:26pm CST by Luke Adams

After assuring Falcons fans and owner Arthur Blank last night that a deal would come soon, general manager Thomas Dimitroff has locked up first-round pass rusher Vic Beasley to his rookie contract, according to D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (via Twitter).

With Beasley now under contract, the Falcons have secured all seven of their 2015 draft picks, becoming the latest team to do so. Fewer than 20 draftees around the NFL have yet to sign their rookie deals.

In Beasley’s case, his new four-year deal will be worth $14.495MM, according to Over The Cap’s data. That contract will also feature a signing bonus worth about $8.802MM and a fifth-year option for 2019, and will almost certainly be fully guaranteed, since the former Clemson edge defender was the eighth overall pick.

The Falcons have struggled to produce an effective pass rush over the last couple seasons, and the arrival of Beasley is expected to help improve that aspect of the defense. It will be interesting to see how new head coach Dan Quinn makes use of Beasley, who was considered one of the top edge rushers in this year’s draft.

Cowboys Sign Byron Jones

June 11th, 2015 at 7:31pm CST by Zachary Links

The Cowboys announced that they have signed first-round draft pick Byron Jones. With Jones in the fold, Dallas has now inked everyone in their 2015 draft class.

Jones’ deal will call for him to earn a little under $8MM over a four-year period. The No. 27 overall pick comes to Dallas with experience at both cornerback and safety. He has already gotten a chance to show off his versatility during OTAs, getting reps at both positions.

Of course, having another talented cornerback in the mix is a strategic move by the Cowboys. Not only do they get stronger at the position at the short-term, but Jones’ presence should give them additional leverage for a Brandon Carr pay cut and give the Cowboys the upper hand in Orlando Scandrick‘s contract dispute.

The UConn standout garnered serious interest from teams all around the league leading up to the draft and the rival Eagles were one team known to be keen on him.

Bengals Sign Cedric Ogbuehi

June 11th, 2015 at 1:52pm CST by Luke Adams

The Bengals have finished signing their 2015 draft class, announcing today (via Twitter) that they’ve signed first-round offensive tackle Cedric Ogbuehi to his rookie contract. Ogbuehi was the last of nine Bengals draftees to ink his deal.

According to Over The Cap’s data, Ogbuehi’s four-year contract will have a total value of about $9.326MM, with a signing bonus worth approximately $5.042MM. The deal, which will also feature a fifth-year option for the 2019 season, likely won’t quite be fully guaranteed, since most players selected late in the first round don’t get full guarantees. The Bengals grabbed the Texas A&M lineman with the 21st overall pick back in April.

The Bengals’ draft was heavy on offensive lineman at the top, as Cincinnati used its second-round pick on former Oregon tackle Jake Fisher after having added Ogbuehi. While they could very well be the Bengals’ long-term solutions on either side of the offensive line, Ogbuehi and Fisher will have to contend in 2015 with veterans Andrew Whitworth and Andre Smith, who won’t be eager to surrender their starting spots. Whitworth and Smith are both eligible for unrestricted free agency in 2016.

I wrote yesterday that 25 players from 2015’s draft class remained unsigned. Since then, three offensive linemen – Ogbuehi, Lions first-rounder Laken Tomlinson, and Buccaneers second-rounder Ali Marpet – have been locked up by their respective teams, leaving just 22 draftees still to sign.

Lions Sign First Round Pick Laken Tomlinson

June 11th, 2015 at 8:36am CST by Zachary Links

The Lions announced that they have signed first-round guard Laken Tomlinson. The Duke product was taken with the No. 28 overall pick.

The Lions originally owned the No. 23 pick in the draft but they moved back in a deal with the Broncos in order to add veteran center/guard Manny Ramirez. Tomlinson is expected to start for the Lions at left guard this year in place of Rob Sims. There’s change elsewhere on the offensive line too as Travis Swanson will be the starter at center in place of longtime staple Dominic Raiola.

The rookie wage scale calls for Tomlinson to earn just over $8MM over a four year period. With Tomlinson signed, the Lions now have their entire draft class under contract.

Bucs Sign Second Round Pick Ali Marpet

June 11th, 2015 at 8:28am CST by Zachary Links

The Buccaneers have signed second-round pick Ali Marpet, according to Roy Cummings of the Tampa Bay Tribune (on Twitter). With the Hobart guard in the fold, the Bucs have now signed all seven of their 2015 draft picks.

The Bucs traded up from No. 65 to get the Colts’ No. 61 pick, where they selected Marpet. The swap called for the teams to swap their fourth round picks, which meant that the Bucs moved down from No. 109 to No. 128. Buccaneers GM Jason Licht later said he traded up for Hobart guard Ali Marpet because offensive line depth in the draft was shrinking.

Tampa Bay also fortified its offensive line earlier in the second round by selecting Penn State tackle Donovan Smith with the No. 34 pick. Both Smith and Marpet are considered front-runners to start on a revamped Buccaneers’ offensive line in 2015.

25 NFL Draft Picks Remain Unsigned

June 10th, 2015 at 10:38am CST by Luke Adams

With training camps still a few weeks away, it should just be a matter of time until all 256 of this year’s draft picks have signed rookie contracts with their respective teams. The 2015 draft concluded a little over five weeks ago, and so far, 231 of those draftees have signed their deals, leaving just 25 picks unsigned, less than 10% of 2015’s draft class.

Of those unsigned picks, most are first- or third-rounders. Salaries and bonus amounts for draft picks under the current CBA are fairly rigid, so only a few details in a contract can really be negotiated, including guarantees and offsets. The first and third round – particularly the end of the first round and the start of the third round – are two spots where those specifics are a little more negotiable than usual.

While 17 of the 25 unsigned picks are first- or third-rounders, the other eight are mostly Rams players, since St. Louis typically announces all of its draft signings at once. The one exception this year for the team was sixth-round wide receiver Bud Sasser, who wasn’t physically cleared, due to a heart condition — he signed his rookie contract and was subsequently waived from St. Louis’ roster. Besides the Rams, no team has more than two unsigned picks.

Here’s the full list of 2015 draftees who have yet to sign their rookie contracts:

First Round:

Marcus Mariota, QB (Tennessee Titans)
Vic Beasley, DE/OLB (Atlanta Falcons)
Ereck Flowers, T (New York Giants)
Todd Gurley, RB (St. Louis Rams)
Cedric Ogbuehi, OL (Cincinnati Bengals)
Byron Jones, CB (Dallas Cowboys)
Laken Tomlinson, G (Detroit Lions)
Damarious Randall, S (Green Bay Packers)
Malcom Brown, DT (New England Patriots)

Second Round:

Landon Collins, S (New York Giants)
Mario Edwards, DL (Oakland Raiders)
Rob Havenstein, T (St. Louis Rams)
Ali Marpet, OL (Tampa Bay Buccaneers)

Third Round:

D’Joun Smith, CB (Indianapolis Colts)
Jeremiah Poutasi, OL (Tennessee Titans)
A.J. Cann, OL (Jacksonville Jaguars)
Clive Walford, TE (Oakland Raiders)
Jamon Brown, T (St. Louis Rams)
Duke Johnson, RB (Cleveland Browns)
Sean Mannion, QB (St. Louis Rams)
Henry Anderson, DE (Indianapolis Colts)

Fourth Round:

Andrew Donnal, T (St. Louis Rams)

Sixth Round:

Cody Wichmann, G (St. Louis Rams)

Seventh Round:

Bryce Hager, LB (St. Louis Rams)
Martin Ifedi, DE (St. Louis Rams)

Broncos Sign Heuerman, Lock Up Draft Class

June 4th, 2015 at 2:58pm CST by Luke Adams

The Broncos have signed third-round tight end Jeff Heuerman, locking up their entire 2015 draft class, tweets Troy Renck of the Denver Post. The team signed top pick Shane Ray earlier this week, after securing second-rounder Ty Sambrailo and its other six draftees in May.

Heuerman, the 92nd overall pick in this year’s draft, suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee during rookie camp last month and is expected to miss the entire 2015 season. The former Ohio State Buckeye won’t go on the injured reserve list quite yet, since he’d have to pass through waivers to be placed on IR at this point, but he’ll likely land there eventually.

“I feel terrible for Jeff and this is a very unfortunate situation,” said Broncos head coach Gary Kubiak, after Heuerman’s ACL injury. “Jeff was going to be a big part of our team this year, and he’s still going to be a big part of our team and organization in the future.”

Heuerman, who is expected to make a full recovery in time for the 2016 season, will get a signing bonus worth just under $621K on his rookie contract, which will be worth about $2.9MM over four years. While he recovers from his ACL tear, the Broncos will have to make do with a stable of tight ends led by offseason signee Owen Daniels.

2015 NFL Draft News & Rumors