6:20pm: The Browns confirmed the signing via Twitter.
12:40pm: First-round cornerback Justin Gilbert has agreed to terms on his rookie contract with the Browns, reports Chris Mortensen of ESPN.com (via Twitter). Once Gilbert officially puts pen to paper, Cleveland will have locked up its entire 2014 draft class, just in time for its rookies to report to camp.
Gilbert, who played his college ball at Oklahoma State, was selected eight overall by the Browns in May after the team traded down from No. 4 and then back up from No. 9. The first cornerback off the board in the ’14 draft, the 22-year-old won the 2013 College Football Performance Award as the nation’s top defensive back.
As Jason Fitzgerald’s figures at OverTheCap.com show, Gilbert should be in line for a signing bonus worth in excess of $7.65MM, while the overall value of his four-year deal will be around $12.834MM. The reason for the holdup on an agreement isn’t yet known, but it may have something to do with the two sides haggling over offset language in the contract.
With Gilbert now locked up, Tennessee’s Taylor Lewan is the only 2014 draftee who has yet to reach an agreement with his NFL team.