Only 10 NFL Draft Picks Remain Unsigned

Rookie contracts are no longer a negotiation nightmare for general managers, but some deals take longer than others to come together. When PFR’s Dallas Robinson checked in on unsigned rookies in June, there were a dozen stragglers. Weeks later, we still have ten players without deals, including some very notable names: 

First Round

• 1-2: Mitch Trubisky, QB (Bears)
• 1-3: Solomon Thomas, DL (49ers)
• 1-5: Corey Davis, WR (Titans)
• 1-6: Jamal Adams, S (Jets)
• 1-10: Patrick Mahomes, QB (Chiefs)
• 1-24: Gareon Conley, CB (Raiders)
• 1-25: Jabrill Peppers, S (Browns)

Second Round

• 2-56: Obi Melifonwu, S (Raiders)

Third Round

• 3-88: Eddie Vanderdoes, DT (Raiders)
• 3-93: Montravius Adams, DT (Packers)

Nearly 22% of this year’s first round picks are still without contracts and the likely culprit is offset language. No one wants to be this year’s Joey Bosa, but teams don’t want to risk having a holdout situation in training camp either. For what it’s worth, Trubisky says that he’ll be practicing with the Bears no matter what. The 49ers’ situation with Thomas, on the other hand, has the potential to get complicated. The Niners already made a big concession when they agreed to give No. 31 overall pick Reuben Foster guarantees that extend into his fourth year, so they could have a hard time standing their ground with Thomas on something like offset language. Last year, it took the Niners and Joshua Garnett until July 29th to agree to terms. They might have to play the waiting game again with this year’s first round pick from Stanford.

Besides the glut of unsigned first round picks, the list also has one other common thread: the Raiders. Although the Raiders have agreed to terms with six of their draft picks, their top three rookies remain unsigned. The extended talks for Conley, Mlifonwu, and Vanderdoes could be a sign that the Raiders are holding firm on the same issue, but they could also be for entirely different reasons.

In the case of Conley, his legal situation could be holding things up, in addition to the typical offset language issues with first round picks. Vanderdoes is only one of two third round stragglers this year, but as we saw in 2016, negotiations with third rounders can be complicated. That’s because base salaries are usually maxed out for all first- and second-round picks while picks in rounds 4-7 receive the minimum. However, there is no set number for third round picks, which means that there is extra wiggle room.

Photo via Pro Football Rumors on Instagram.