There are only 32 unsigned draft picks. Of that amount, fourteen were picked in the first round. I find it a little surprising that there are more players taken after the first round that are unsigned than those at the top of the draft. Speaking of the very top, none of the top eight have signed. It's believed that all eight want fully guaranteed contracts. The teams are resisting and neither side has budged, yet. Fully guaranteed contracts are the norm in other sports but they have yet to find a place in the NFL. These young kids are looking to change that. With the new CBA most of the contract numbers are essentially scripted so the only real bargaining has to be over the guaranteed contracts. Despite this apparent stalemate between the teams and the top picks no one is really worrying about training camp holdouts. The vast majority of the players have ensured their on-time attendance at camp. It still wouldn't be totally shocking if a couple stay away for a day or two or more.
The Minnesota Vikings have eight of their ten picks signed. First round tackle Matt Kalil is one of those top 8 picks that might be pushing for a fully guaranteed contract. Linemen usually just want to get to work so hopefully they can work the contract out soon. I'm a little puzzled by the unsigned status of third round cornerback Josh Robinson. It's like the team or his agent forgot about him. Maybe since he's super fast he's looking for super fast money. Who knows? I expect his signing any day and hopefully Kalil's soon after.
Oakland Raiders receiver Juron Criner is the latest drafted player still unsigned. He was a fifth round selection. Since the Raiders traded away the top of their draft before they even hit the offseason a fifth really qualifies as a much higher choice.
In past years, teams didn't really start negotiating until after July 4th. I never really understood that but that's just the way it was. It always seemed like half the first round picks missed a portion of camp. So, this is quite refreshing to ease into training camps with few to no holdouts. No one wins when a player holds out.
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