Jacksonville Jaguars: How the rookie pool compensates each draft pick
By Larry Brake
The Jacksonville Jaguars will draft five players this April. Here is what the price tag will be according to the rookie pool
The Jacksonville Jaguars’ magical 2017 season means drafting at the 29th spot. Jacksonville will not have the luxury of drafting within the top 10 in terms of highly rated prospects. However, the price tag will not be as hefty either.
In 2011, the NFL and the NFL Players Association agreed upon the latest collective bargaining agreement (CBA). Within the CBA, there is an outline of the rookie pool compensation as defined in Article 7. Long gone is the megabuck rookie contracts of the past.
Currently, the Jaguars have five selections in this years draft. They will draft in the first, second third, fourth and sixth rounds. According to OverTheCap.com the Jaguars can expect to pay $4.491 million to the draft selections in 2018. Using CBSSports.com positional rankings, here’s what contracts would look like.
In the first round, many have suggested a tight end or wide receiver be selected at 29th. Let’s predict that Mark Andrews, tight end out of Oklahoma, is selected. Andrews can expect to earn $1.852 million in 2018 due to being the first round pick. His four-year contract should be worth $10.1 million and contain a $5.4 million signing bonus.
Probably, Jacksonville selects a wide receiver in the second round. James Washington of Oklahoma State is selected. As the 61st selection, Washington will receive $810,049 in 2018. His rookie contract would be four years totaling $4.455 million.
Jacksonville will draft linemen in the third and fourth rounds. Guard Braden Smith of Auburn, and tackle Mike McGlinchey of Notre Dame, will be selected. Smith would receive $681,651 for 2018. McGlinchey receives $631,367 for his rookie campaign.
Finally, in Round 6, the Jaguars select a quarterback. Kyle Lauletta of Richmond would earn $515,543. In contrast to a first round pick, Lauletta would earn $2.6 million over four years with a signing bonus of $142,172.
Next: NFL Free Agency: Player each team must re-sign
Jacksonville could trade out of the first round. At this point, the Jaguars need to create roster depth instead of finding their franchise cornerstone. Expect an offense heavy draft since going defense in 2017.