Vikings Sign Entire Draft Class
Well, that was pretty easy for the Vikings. While most teams tend to sign their draft choices in drips and drabs, the Vikings announced that they have signed their entire 2015 draft class. Those ten rookies are:
- Round 1, CB Trae Waynes
- Round 2: LB Eric Kendricks
- Round 3: DE Danielle Hunter
- Round 4: OL T.J. Clemmings
- Round 5: TE Mycol Pruitt
- Round 5: WR Stefon Diggs
- Round 6: OL Tyrus Thompson
- Round 6: DL B.J. Dubose
- Round 7: OL Austin Shepherd
- Round 7: LB Edmond Robinson
The signing of Waynes was leaked out earlier today by Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN. The eleventh player selected in the 2015 draft, Waynes will earn nearly $13MM over the life of his rookie contract, and will have the opportunity to make several extra million in 2019 if Minnesota exercises his fifth-year option. Because he just missed the cutoff to be a top-10 pick, Waynes’ fifth year won’t be as pricey as it otherwise would’ve — those amounts aren’t known yet, but for 2016 options, the difference in salaries between a top-10 cornerback and a corner picked between 11th and 32nd exceeded $3.5MM.
Kendricks was last season’s Butkus Award winner, giving him the crown of best collegiate linebacker in the country. Kendricks’ brother, Mychal, plays for the Eagles and father Marvin Kendricks, played running back at UCLA and enjoyed a stint in the CFL.
With ten UDFAs also in the fold, the Vikings’ roster is now at 90 players, according to the press release.
Dolphins To Sign Second-Round Pick Jordan Phillips
The Dolphins have agreed to terms with second-round pick Jordan Phillips, according to Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald. The Dolphins now have their top two picks signed to deals after first-round choice DeVante Parker agreed to terms earlier today.
Phillips, a defensive tackle, was chosen with the No. 52 overall pick. The Oklahoma standout is considered to be a little bit rough, but he’ll be learning from the absolute best at the position when he lines up alongside Ndamukong Suh. Recently, GM Dennis Hickey told reporters, including Hal Habib of the Palm Beach Post, that the war room was overjoyed about picking Phillips.
“He truly was the best player available on our board,” Hickey said. “We took him and we almost had an earthquake up there, the defensive coaches trying to break down the walls, they were so excited.”
In addition to Phillips, the Dolphins have signed fifth-round running back Jay Ajayi, according to Aaron Wilson of The Baltimore Sun (on Twitter).
Draft Pick Signings: Thursday
Over the course of the next few weeks, as the league’s 32 teams lock up their draft picks, we’ll dedicate individual posts to first- and second-round picks reaching agreements with their respective clubs. Already today, for instance, we’ve passed along word of Trae Waynes signing with the Vikings and Nelson Agholor reaching a deal with the Eagles.
However, given the lack of drama involved in rookie contract negotiations under the new CBA, news on players who were selected in the third round or later will be relegated to round-up posts. Here are Thursday’s mid- to late-round picks who signed their deals, with any additional updates added to the top of the page throughout the day:
4:52pm:
- In addition to confirming the signing of Deon Simon (noted below), the Jets also announced the signings of third-round outside linebacker Lorenzo Mauldin and fourth-round quarterback Bryce Petty, per a team release.
- The Vikings are gradually agreeing to terms with nearly their entire draft class over the course of the day. Chris Tomasson (Twitter links) has updates on two more, reporting that fifth-round tight end MyCole Pruitt, fifth-round wideout Stefon Diggs, and seventh-round offensive lineman Austin Shepherd have all reached deals with the club.
- The Ravens have signed fifth-round guard Robert Myers and sixth-round wide receiver Darren Waller, per Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (Twitter links).
- The Seahawks have signed fifth-round cornerback Tye Smith, tweets Terry Blount of ESPN.com.
3:50pm:
- The Vikings have officially added three more draftees to the roster, agreeing to terms with sixth-round defensive lineman B.J. Dubose and seventh-round linebacker Edmond Robinson, according to reports from Matt Vensel of the Star Tribune and Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press (Twitter links). In addition to those late-rounders, fourth-round offensive lineman T.J. Clemmings has signed his deal, tweets agent Mike McCartney.
- Sixth-round lineman Kristjan Sokoli has signed his four-year rookie deal with the Seahawks, tweets agent Brett Tessler. A defensive lineman at Buffalo, Sokoli will be moving over to the offensive line in Seattle.
- Jets seventh-round defensive tackle Deon Simon and Patriots seventh-round defensive end Xzavier Dickson have signed their rookie deals, according to tweets from their respective agencies. Simon will get a signing bonus in the neighborhood of $73K, while Dickson’s bonus will be worth about $53K.
2:43pm:
- Sixth-round offensive lineman Tyrus Thompson has agreed to terms with the Vikings and will officially sign when he arrives at the team’s facility, tweets Darren Wolfson of KSTP. Thompson is the second Vikes draftee to reach a deal with the club.
- Another Packers draftee has agreed to terms with the team, per Pete Dougherty of the Green Bay Post-Gazette, who tweets that the club has struck a deal with sixth-rounder fullback Aaron Ripkowski. Ripkowski was the first of three players selected by the Packers in the sixth round, and is also the first one to reach an agreement with the team.
- The Browns have signed sixth-round tight end Randall Telfer, tweets Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal. Telfer will receive a signing bonus of just under $118K.
1:48pm:
- The Packers have agreed to terms on four-year rookie contracts with fifth-round quarterback Brett Hundley and fourth-round linebacker Jake Ryan, according to Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (Twitter links). Green Bay is expected to lock up most or all of the rest of its late-round picks by the end of the day, writes Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com.
- The Ravens have agreed to contract terms with fourth-round defensive back Tray Walker, reports Tony Pauline of DraftInsider.net (Twitter link). The final player selected in the fourth round, as a supplemental pick, Walker will count for about $521K against the cap in 2015.
- Seventh-round center Austin Reiter has agreed to terms on his rookie contract with Washington, tweets John Keim of ESPN.com. Reiter will receive a signing bonus worth just under $75K.
Browns Agree To Terms With Nate Orchard
Second-round edge defender Nate Orchard has agreed to terms on his rookie contract with the Browns, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun.
The Utah defensive end, the 51st overall pick in the draft, will have a cap number of $812K in his first season with the Browns. Assuming he plays out his full four-year deal with the team, he’ll earn a total of about $4.466MM, including a signing bonus worth more than $1.5MM.
Orchard was the Browns’ third draftee last week, coming off the board on day two after Cleveland grabbed defensive tackle Danny Shelton and offensive lineman Cameron Erving in the first round. Both of those first-rounders remain unsigned for now.
Ravens, Maxx Williams Agree To Deal
The Ravens have reached a deal with second-round tight end Maxx Williams, a source tells Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun. Williams is the second Baltimore draftee known to have struck an agreement with the club, following fourth-round cornerback Tray Walker.
Williams, the 55th overall pick last Friday, could become an immediate contributor in Baltimore given the uncertain health status of veteran tight end Dennis Pitta and the offseason departure of last year’s starter, Owen Daniels. The Ravens felt strongly enough about Williams to give up a fifth-round pick to move up three spots in the second round to make sure they landed him.
Per Over the Cap’s draft pool figures, Williams will make just over $4MM on his four-year deal with Baltimore, including a signing bonus of about $1.21MM
Bears Waive Paul Cornick
THURSDAY, 4:11pm: Cornick will return to waivers, according to Caplan, who tweets that the offensive lineman failed his physical with the Bears and was cut by the club.
TUESDAY, 5:02pm: The Bears have added another offensive lineman to their roster, claiming Paul Cornick off waivers from the Broncos, tweets Adam Caplan of ESPN.com. When Denver cut Cornick yesterday, Troy Renck of the Denver Post was among those who noted Chicago would likely have interest.
Cornick, 26, saw his first extended action last season, starting six games at right tackle for the Broncos as the team dealt with injuries. While his performance wasn’t exceptional, he held his own over the course of 309 offensive snaps, particularly as a pass blocker.
The Bears’ interest in Cornick was predictable, since head coach John Fox and offensive coordinator Adam Gase both came from Denver this offseason. With the Broncos preparing to institute a zone-blocking scheme under new head coach Gary Kubiak, Cornick wasn’t viewed as a necessary piece in Denver, but he could earn some snaps in Chicago.
Rishard Matthews Seeks Trade Or Release
Dolphins wide receiver Rishard Matthews, unhappy with his role in Miami, is boycotting the Dolphins’ voluntary workouts in the hopes of forcing a trade or his release, according to Adam Beasley of the Miami Herald.
This isn’t the first time we’ve heard that Matthews wanted to be traded or cut by the Dolphins — Beasley’s fellow Herald scribe Armando Salguero reported the same thing back in February. Presumably, as the club moved on from veterans Mike Wallace, Brandon Gibson, and Brian Hartline, Matthews became more optimistic about getting an opportunity to see consistent offensive snaps in 2015.
However, the Dolphins actively sought out replacements for their departed wideouts, trading a third-round pick for Kenny Stills, signing Greg Jennings in free agency, and using their first-round pick on DeVante Parker. With Jarvis Landry still in the mix as well, the Dolphins “made clear through their actions” that the club still views Matthews as a No. 5 receiver, writes Beasley.
Matthews, 25, saw 67 targets and caught 41 of them back in 2013, but has otherwise been a little-used weapon on offense during his three years in Miami, seeing more action on special teams. The former seventh-round pick is entering the final year of his rookie contract, so his base salary is an affordable $660K, and the Dolphins would only have to carry about $13K on their cap if they dealt him.
Vikings, Eric Kendricks Agree To Deal
The Vikings continue to lock up 2015 draftees today, reaching an agreement with their second-round pick, per Darren Wolfson of KSTP (Twitter link). Wolfson reports that linebacker Eric Kendricks has agreed to terms with Minnesota.
Kendricks, a former UCLA Bruin, was selected 45th overall last week by the Vikings. That draft slot means he’ll be in line for a four-year contract of about $5.156MM, with a signing bonus of almost exactly $2MM. Unlike Trae Waynes, who signed his rookie contract with the Vikings earlier today, Kendricks’ deal doesn’t include a fifth-year option, so he’ll be eligible for unrestricted free agency after the 2018 season.
Minnesota now has three of its 10 draft picks in the fold, having also agreed to terms with sixth-round offensive lineman Tyrus Thompson today.
Vikings Sign Trae Waynes
Former Michigan State cornerback Trae Waynes is officially a Viking, according to Darren Wolfson of KSTP. A source tells Wolfson (Twitter link) that Waynes has signed his four-year rookie contract with the club.
The 11th player selected in the 2015 draft, Waynes will earn nearly $13MM over the life of his rookie contract, and will have the opportunity to make several extra million in 2019 if Minnesota exercises his fifth-year option. Because he just missed the cutoff to be a top-10 pick, Waynes’ fifth year won’t be as pricey as it otherwise would’ve — those amounts aren’t known yet, but for 2016 options, the difference in salaries between a top-10 cornerback and a corner picked between 11th and 32nd exceeded $3.5MM.
Of the 10 players the Vikings selected in last week’s draft, Waynes is the first one reported to have signed his rookie deal, though the others figure to follow suit shortly.
Eagles, Nelson Agholor Agree To Terms
1:27pm: $8.8MM of Agholor’s $9.377MM contract is guaranteed, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com.
1:16pm: The Eagles have locked up their first-round pick, agreeing to terms with wide receiver Nelson Agholor on his rookie contract, the team announced today (via Twitter). Agholor becomes the third first-rounder to reach a deal with his new team, following Jameis Winston and Kevin White.
Agholor, the 20th overall pick last Thursday, should be in line for a four-year contract worth about $9.4MM, with a signing bonus that exceeds $5MM, according to Over the Cap’s draft pool projections. As a first-rounder, he’ll also have a fifth-year option on his deal, which will allow the Eagles to lock him up for the 2019 season as well.
Agholor will join Jordan Matthews, Riley Cooper, Miles Austin, and the rest of an Eagles receiving corps that no longer includes Jeremy Maclin, who signed with the Chiefs in March. With Maclin no longer in the picture, I expect Agholor will get a chance to earn plenty of playing time in his rookie season, with he and Matthews representing the future of the position in Philadelphia.