Another first-round draft pick has signed his contract, as the NFL continues to see rookie signings at a record rate.
The Bengals have announced that Dre Kirkpatrick, the cornerback from Alabama taken with the 17th overall pick by Cincinnati, has signed his contract. As is standard for first-round contracts under the new Collective Bargaining Agreement, it’s a four-year deal with an option for the fifth. Kirkpatrick will make a guaranteed $7.84 million.
Kirkpatrick joins a crowded field at cornerback in Cincinnati, with Leon Hall, Nate Clements, Terence Newman, Pacman Jones and Jason Allen all in the mix.
The signing of Kirkpatrick is yet another reminder that rookie holdouts (which were once commonplace in Cincinnati) are a thing of the past. The NFL said that as of last night, 147 draft picks had signed. Last year zero picks had signed by this point in the offseason because of the lockout, and two years ago only 13 draft picks had signed by the end of May.