2015 NFL Draft - Pro Football Rumors

Broncos Sign Max Garcia, Darius Kilgo

May 13th, 2015 at 9:52pm CST by Zachary Links

The Broncos have signed their first draft picks from this year’s class:

Florida center/guard Max Garcia, a fourth round choice of the Broncos, has signed his deal, according to Troy E. Renck of The Denver Post (on Twitter). Garcia began his college career at Maryland before joining Florida in 2012. The versatile athlete made starts at left guard, left tackle, and center for the Gators, but primarily played center in his final season there.
Sixth-round nose tackle Darius Kilgo took to Instagram to announce that he has inked his deal with the Broncos. The No. 203 overall pick will earn about $2.39MM over four seasons with a signing bonus that is worth about $112K, as Nicki Jhabvala of the Denver Post writes.

Cards Sign Markus Golden, Rodney Gunter

May 13th, 2015 at 4:10pm CST by Luke Adams

The Cardinals have two more draft picks under contract, having signed second-round outside linebacker Markus Golden and fourth-round defensive lineman Rodney Gunter to their rookie deals today, according to Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com (Twitter link).

Urban notes that the moves leave three Cardinals draftees unsigned, tweeting that the contract for seventh-rounder Gerald Christian isn’t officially in the books yet. Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun reported earlier today that Christian’s deal was done, so perhaps 2015’s “Mr. Irrelevant” has agreed to terms but not yet put pen to paper.

As for Golden and Gunter, Over the Cap’s data shows that the duo will be in line for respective signing bonuses worth about $1.11MM and $510K. For 2015, the Cardinals will have Golden and Gunter on their books for modest cap hits of approximately $712K and $562K, respectively.

Besides Christian, first-round tackle D.J. Humphries and third-round running back David Johnson have yet to formally sign their rookie contracts for the Cardinals.

Chargers Sign Four Draft Picks

May 13th, 2015 at 3:31pm CST by Luke Adams

With just five picks this year, the Chargers had one of 2015’s smallest draft classes, and the team nearly locked up all its draftees in one fell swoop today. According to the club’s official website, the Chargers have signed four rookies, including second-round linebacker Denzel Perryman.

In addition to inking Perryman to his rookie contract, the team also made things official with third-round cornerback Craig Mager, fifth-round outside linebacker Kyle Emanuel, and sixth-round defensive lineman Darius Philon. First-round running back Melvin Gordon, this year’s 15th overall selection, is the only San Diego draftee who has yet to put pen to paper.

As Over The Cap’s data shows, the cap numbers for the Chargers’ four signed picks will range from about $465K to $870K. Of the four players, Perryman will pull in the largest signing bonus, at about $1.734MM. Mager’s bonus will be worth approximately $662K, while Emanuel’s will come in at about $219K, and Philon will get about $121K.

For a complete breakdown of which draft picks have and haven’t signed their rookie contracts, be sure to check out our tracker.

Draft Signings: Chiefs, Cards, Titans, Jags

May 13th, 2015 at 2:47pm CST by Luke Adams

Teams around the NFL continue to lock up their 2015 draft picks, and while we’ll dedicate full posts when first- or second-rounders sign their rookie contracts, we’ll pass along mid-to-late-round signings in round-up posts like this one. Here are the latest draft pick signings from around the league, with all salary info via Over The Cap:

The Chiefs have signed third-round receiver Chris Conley, according to Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (via Twitter). Conley, the 76th overall pick earlier this month, is one of two key additions – along with Jeremy Maclin – to Kansas City’s new-look receiving corps, which will look to reach the end zone at least once in 2015.
Mr. Irrelevant, 256th overall pick Gerald Christian, has signed his rookie contract with the Cardinals, per Wilson (via Twitter). Even as the final seventh-rounder to come off the board, the former Louisville tight end did significantly better than he would have as an undrafted free agent, securing a signing bonus worth about $53K.
The Titans have agreed to terms with three more of their draft picks, locking up fourth-round defensive tackle Angelo Blackson, sixth-round center Andy Gallik, and seventh-round receiver Tre McBride, tweets Jim Wyatt of the Tennessean. The club still has to sign five of its nine draftees, including second overall pick Marcus Mariota.
The Jaguars have signed a pair of draftees to their rookie deals today, according to John Oehser of Jaguars.com, who reports (via Twitter) that fourth-round safety James Sample and seventh-round wideout Neal Sterling are now under contract. Sample and Sterling will receive respective signing bonuses worth about $549K and $78K.
The Raiders announced (on Twitter) that they have signed a pair of seventh-round draft picks in wide receiver Andre Debose and tackle Anthony Morris.

Zach Links contributed to this post.

Lions Sign Ameer Abdullah

May 13th, 2015 at 1:28pm CST by Luke Adams

The Lions have moved one step closer to completely locking up their 2015 draft class, announcing today that they’ve signed second-round running back Ameer Abdullah to his rookie deal. With Abdullah now under contract with the club, only first-round pick Laken Tomlinson remains unsigned.

Abdullah, the 54th overall pick in this year’s draft, was the fourth running back to come off the board, behind Todd Gurley, Melvin Gordon, and T.J. Yeldon. While Joique Bell may currently sit first on the Lions’ depth chart at the position, Abdullah is expected to play a major role in the backfield this year, and may also return kicks and/or punts for the team.

While Abdullah will count for a modest $756K hit against the Lions’ cap this season, he’ll earn a signing bonus of about $1.283MM now that he has inked his rookie contract. The four-year value of the rookie’s deal will be approximately $4.156MM, per Over The Cap.

Draft Signings: Falcons, Bucs, Bills

May 12th, 2015 at 5:36pm CST by Zachary Links

The latest draft signings from rounds 3-7..

The Falcons signed third-round pick Tevin Coleman, according to Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com (on Twitter). With the running back in the fold, Vic Beasley stands as the last draft pick unsigned in Atlanta.
The Buccaneers signed fourth-round linebacker Kwon Alexander, according to Scott Smith of Buccaneers.com (on Twitter). The Bucs traded up in the fourth round with the Raiders to land the LSU product.
The Buccaneers also signed Nebraska product Kenny Bell, according to Smith (on Twitter). The wide receiver was taken in the fifth round.
FSU tight end Nick O’Leary, a sixth-round choice, has signed his rookie contract with the Bills, a source tells Alex Marvez of FOX Sports (on Twitter). Seventh-round wideout Dezmin Lewis has also signed his rookie deal with the team, tweets Vic Carucci of the Buffalo News.
The Bengals signed safety Derron Smith, a sixth-round pick, Paul Dehner Jr. of The Cincinnati Enquirer tweets. Smith is just the second of nine picks to sign.
The Cardinals announced (via Twitter) that they have signed a pair of fifth-round picks in linebacker Shaquille Riddick and wide receiver J.J. Nelson.

Saints Sign Stephone Anthony

May 12th, 2015 at 5:14pm CST by Zachary Links

The Saints announced that they have signed linebacker Stephone Anthony. The No. 31 overall pick was one of the last holdouts for New Orleans in this year’s draft class.

Anthony, 22, was widely projected as a second round pick but found his way into the first round after impressing New Orleans brass throughout the draft process. In 2014, the Clemson star was a consensus first-team All-ACC selection as he recorded a team-high 90 tackles (61 solo), 10.5 stops for loss, 2.5 sacks, one interception, four passes defensed and two forced fumbles in 13 games with 12 starts. Anthony also led the Tigers with 131 tackles in 2013 as a junior.

With Anthony under contract, the Saints have now inked all of their picks with the exception of first-round tackle Andrus Peat.

Steelers Sign Senquez Golson

May 12th, 2015 at 3:59pm CST by Zachary Links

The Steelers have signed second-round pick Senquez Golson, according to Ed Bouchette of the Post-Gazette (on Twitter). Golson is the highest draft picked signed by Pittsburgh so far.

Golson, an Ole Miss product, was selected with the No. 56 overall pick in the draft. The 5’9″ athlete started 33-of-49 of his games in college and recorded 136 tackles and 16 interceptions. His 16 picks led all NCAA active defensive players and tied for third most in school history. Golson led the SEC with ten interceptions in 2014, second-most in the NCAA, and tied an Ole Miss single-season record.

With Golson signed, the Steelers have four of eight draft selections still to go.

Draft Signings: Browns, Bucs, Titans

May 12th, 2015 at 3:01pm CST by Luke Adams

With less room for negotiations on rookie contracts under the new CBA, draft picks are coming to terms with their teams quicker than ever, and a few more have struck deals already today. Here are the latest updates on mid-to-late rounders reaching agreements with their respective clubs, with contract information provided by Over The Cap….

The Browns have officially brought a pair of draftees into the fold, announcing today in a press release that they’ve formally signed third-round defensive lineman Xavier Cooper and sixth-round fullback Malcolm Johnson. Their signing bonuses will be worth about $592K and $119K respectively.
Sixth-round wideout Kaelin Clay has signed his rookie deal with the Buccaneers, as Scott Smith of Buccaneers.com tweets. Clay, the second Tampa Bay pick to sign his deal, after Jameis Winston, will get a $130K+ signing bonus.
The Titans have started to lock up their draft picks, agreeing to terms today with sixth-round outside linebacker Deiontrez Mount, tweets Jim Wyatt of the Tennessean. Mount’s four-year contract will have a total value of $2.428MM, including a signing bonus of about $148K, and a 2015 cap hit of approximately $472K.
Saints third-round draft pick P.J. Williams signed his rookie contract on Tuesday, according to a post on his Instagram account. New Orleans has now inked all of its picks with the exception of Stephone Anthony and Andrus Peat.
The Eagles and sixth round draft pick JaCorey Shepherd have agreed to terms on a four-year contract, Geoff Mosher of CSNPhilly.com tweets.

Zach Links contributed to this post.

Washington Signs Brandon Scherff

May 12th, 2015 at 11:59am CST by Luke Adams

Another team has made quick work of locking up its 2015 draft class, as Washington announced today in a press release that fifth overall pick Brandon Scherff has officially inked his rookie contract with the club.

While Washington’s announcement didn’t mention terms of Scherff’s deal, Over The Cap’s data shows that the former Iowa offensive lineman will receive a four-year pact worth about $21.216MM, with a signing bonus of approximately $13.69MM. As a top-five pick, Scherff will have that salary fully guaranteed, and his contract will feature a fifth-year option for 2019.

Scherff was a bit of a surprise pick for Washington at No. 5 overall, since many experts and observers believed the team would select a pass rusher. However, he should be a nice addition to an offensive line that has had its share of ups and downs in recent years. Scherff is expected to start his NFL career at the right tackle position, across from Pro Bowl left tackle Trent Williams.

After reaching a deal with Scherff, Washington has now signed all 10 of its draftees, making the club the eight franchise to finish signing its 2015 draft class. The Jets, Vikings, Texans, Dolphins, Bears, Panthers, and Ravens have also taken care of all their draft picks.

2015 NFL Draft News & Rumors