The Arizona Cardinals have signed eight of their nine draft picks. The only one left to sign is second-round pick B.J. Ojulari, a linebacker.
While it is not necessarily concerning at this point, it is a trend around the league.
There are more unsigned second-round picks than first-round picks.
Here are the numbers, noted by Howard Balzer for PHNX.
As of Thursday, 17 of 31 first-round picks (54.8%) were under contract. Only seven of 32 (21.9%) of second-rounders are signed.
Why?
Guaranteed money.
First-round picks get fully guaranteed contracts.
Second-round picks often get guarantees but it has to be negotiated.
Last year’s second-round pick, tight end Trey McBride, has a fully guaranteed salary for each of his first two seasons. Receiver Rondale Moore, the team’s second-round pick in 2021, got the first two years of his contract fully guaranteed. Byron Murphy, the team’s 2019 second-round pick, had three years fully guaranteed, although he was the first pick of the second round.
How many guaranteed years is Ojulari’s agent seeking?
The contract will get done soon. Hopefully it will while the team is in OTAs. He observed practice this week being unsigned. Getting on-field reps will be critical because he is a rookie, so sooner will be better than later.
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