The Baltimore Ravens jump started the early signing of draft picks . They signed all but their top four picks only a week after the draft. The San Diego Chargers and New Orleans Saints joined in the early signing but they started at the top end of their drafts. The Saints signed first round choice Texas safety Kenny Vaccaro. They also signed Arkansas-Pine Bluff offensive tackle Terron Armstead, Oklahoma receiver Kenny Stills, and Tarleton State defensive end Rufus Johnson. Third round pick Georgia defensive tackle John Jenkins is the lone unsigned Saints draft pick. The Chargers didn't sign their top pick, Alabama offensive tackle D.J. Fluker, but they signed four others. Those signings started with second round pick Notre Dame linebacker Manti Te'o. Hopefully he can now get started on his professional in a friendly city and leave the circus behind. The Chargers also signed Cal receiver Keenan Allen, Florida International linebacker Tourek Williams, and Southern Utah quarterback Brad Sorensen. A handful of other teams have signed late round picks. The Ravens, Saints, and Chargers have made the most significant progress. I wish that more teams would follow their lead.
I think that it's a terrific move to get an early start on the rookie signing process. I never understood why teams would wait until the final days before the start of training camp to sign their players. There's no good reason to wait. It can only cause headaches for the teams and the players. Getting the new players feeling like a part of the team as soon as possible just makes so much sense.
Update: I really missed the boat on the Detroit Lions in this early draft pick signing craze. They get the prize this year. The Lions not only signed #5 pick in the draft, BYU defensive end Ziggy Ansah. They have their entire rookie class signed. Kudos to Martin Mayhew and the Detroit Lions negotiating team.
No comments:
Post a Comment