Time is incumbent upon teams to decide what they want to do with the players selected in the 2017 NFL Draft, particularly the first-rounders. With some assistance from spotrac.com, a look at who has earned bigger deals and who might be looking at other options. One player not chosen in the first round who will be looking at a huge deal is San Francisco 49ers TE George Kittle.
32. Ryan Ramczyk
Ryan Ramczyk signed a 4-year, $8,891,554 contract with the New Orleans Saints. The offensive lineman has started every game he has been healthy for with New Orleans — missing only one last year. He’s a big part of the line and the Saints are destined to pick up his option and make sure he is part of the team for the future.
31. Reuben Foster
Reuben Foster signed a 4-year, $9,035,309 contract with the San Francisco 49ers. After getting into trouble a couple times, the last a domestic violence incident, Foster was cut by SF and picked up in a widely unpopular move by Washington. He tore his ACL and LCL in a practice in May. Unlikely for Washington to want to keep him around.
30. T.J. Watt
T.J. Watt signed a 4-year, $9,258,568 contract with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Talk about one of the no-brainers in this first round of fourth-year options. Pittsburgh will want to grab that option and make sure Watt is locked up for the long, long-term as he is one of the best defensive players around.
29. David Njoku
David Njoku signed a 4-year, $9,525,095 contract with the Cleveland Browns out of Miami (Fl). The tight end has turned the decision into an interesting one for Cleveland. He’s quite talented and fills a need for the Browns. The injury this year doesn’t help the cause. Picking up the option is the safe play but not committing for many more years could be wise.
28. Taco Charlton
Taco Charlton signed a 4-year, $10,028,388 contract with the Dallas Cowboys. To say it didn’t work out would be an understatement. His tenure with the Cowboys was one of the shortest for a first-round draft choice in franchise history, that didn’t involve a career-ending injury. He was picked up on waivers by Miami and has played well for the Dolphins.
27. Tre’Davious White
Tre’Davious White signed a 4-year, $10,091,110 contract with the Buffalo Bills. One of many LSU DBs to star in the NFL after being selected with a high pick. Buffalo will gleefully grab the option on White and should find a way to lock him up long term the way he locks down opponents’ receivers.
26. Takkarist McKinley
Takkarist McKinley signed a 4-year, $10,216,530 contract with the Atlanta Falcons as one of the sweetest stories in the draft out of UCLA. The Falcons have had a down year and McKinley is down to 1.5 sacks after notching 13 in his first two seasons. This is a difficult decision as the play in 2019 has put questions on his future.
25. Jabrill Peppers
Jabrill Peppers signed a 4-year, $10,341,989 contract with the Cleveland Browns. He was dealt to the New York Giants as part of the trade that sent Odell Beckham Jr. to Cleveland. Peppers has played well with Big Blue before suffering a transverse process fracture in his back against Chicago in late November. Have to think the Giants are going to find a way to pick up the option and look to keep him around in the long run.
24. Gareon Conley
Garon Conley signed a 4-year, $10,467,424 contract with the Oakland Raiders. The defensive back was traded to Houston in 2019 and that doesn’t bode well for the long-term future with a contract.
23. Evan Engram
Evan Engram signed a 4-year, $10,718,304 contract with the New York Giants. When he has been on the field, he has been impressive. That’s the problem. The tight end has yet to play a 16-game season, constantly battling injuries and being dinged up. Would think the Giants would pick up his option and make him earn a long-term contract with his performance in 2020.
22. Charles Harris
Charles Harris signed a 4-year, $10,843,739 contract with the Miami Dolphins. The DE from Missouri has started less than 10 games in two-plus seasons for Miami. He has to be considered a disappointment and it would be surprising if Miami picked up his option.
21. Jarrad Davis
Jarrad Davis signed a 4-year, $10,969,183 contract with the Detroit Lions. Despite sharing playing time and being one of the NFL’s lowest-rated LBs, the Lions seem to love Davis. “The guy brings a lot,” DC Paul Pasqualonis said. “He’s the quarterback of the defense. Does an awful lot for us. He really, really does. Love him. Me personally, love him. No issues.” So, that would make one believe he will have his option picked up. Then again, there is no guarantee this regime will be in place after the Lions’ sorry season.
32-21 :: 20-11 :: 10-1
20. Garett Bolles
Garett Bolles signed a 4-year, $11,031,904 contract with the Denver Broncos. He has consistently been a starter at left tackle and his struggles are well-documented. Left tackles are key to a quarterback’s health. When one has issues it leads to problems. The Broncos may decide they need a more dependable left tackle than Boles.
19. O.J. Howard
O.J. Howard signed a 4-year, $11,094,618 contract with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Tampa Bay was hoping it plucked a stellar tight end when it drafted Howard from Alabama. His production has been disappointing. Could see the Bucs shying from picking up the option unless they still believe there is more potential from a player who has not lived up to the billing.
18. Adoree’ Jackson
Adoree’ Jackson signed a 4 year, $11,282,783 contract with the Tennessee Titans. The former USC star is versatile as a returner and DB. Not sure his DB skills are enough to merit a commitment from Tennessee. He should be glad he is such a skilled returner and that could play in his favor as the Titans determine their strategy.
17. Jonathan Allen
Jonathan Allen signed a 4-year, $11,596,377 contract with Washington out of Alabama. Look for the team to pick up his fourth-year option as Allen is blossoming. He had eight sacks last year and could equal it in 2019.
16. Marlon Humphrey
Marlon Humphrey signed a 4-year, $11,847,480 contract with the Baltimore Ravens. The former Alabama star has proven to be one of the keys to the stellar Baltimore defense. The Ravens should pick up his option and look to keep him in the secondary for years to come.
15. Malik Hooker
Malik Hooker signed a 4-year, $12,599,908 contract with the Indianapolis Colts. He has been a valuable piece to the Indianapolis secondary. Expect the fourth-year option to be picked up and eventually for the former Ohio State DB to get a longer contract from the Colts.
14. Derek Barnett
Derek Barnett signed a 4-year, $12,850,772 contract with the Philadelphia Eagles. The defensive end from Tennessee missed part of last season due to injury and has not been the force the Eagles hoped for when they chose him. He’s going to be one of those guys who needs to finish strong in 2019 to convince the team the fourth-year option is worth picking up.
13. Haason Reddick
Haason Reddick signed a 4-year, $13,477,966 contract with the Arizona Cardinals. The team seems unlikely to pick up his option due to poor play. Reddick started at DE, moved around the linebacker corps and is now on his way back to playing OLB. The future in the desert seems dim. Per Cardswire.com: Because of his struggles this season, he has found himself on the bench. He went from playing every down to only playing in sub packages and, against the Los Angeles Rams, Joe Walker replaced him completely. Reddick played one defensive snap on Sunday and allowed a touchdown to tight end Tyler Higbee.
12. Deshaun Watson
Deshaun Watson signed a 4-year, $13,854,281 contract with the Houston Texans. In any other draft year, he would have turned into the prized QB selection. However, Patrick Mahomes has that honor for 2017. The Texans are going to have to pony up huge bucks for a player who is top five at the position. Just figure out the numbers and pay the man.
11. Marshon Lattimore
Marshon Lattimore signed a 4-year, $15,359,563 contract with the New Orleans Saints. He has become one of the best DBs in the league and the Saints will grab his optiion as fast as possible and try and lock him up long-term, too.
32-21 :: 20-11 :: 10-1
10. Patrick Mahomes
Patrick Mahomes signed a 4-year, $16,425,786 contract with the Kansas City Chiefs, This contract is gonna seem like one of the best deals in NFL history. Because when it comes to the next one Mahomes gets, it likely will close in or surpass the $200 million mark. An incredible pick and a QB who will make amazing money in his career.
9. John Ross
John Ross signed a 4-year, $17,115,863 contract with the Cincinnati Bengals out of Washington. Can’t imagine Cincy will sink more dollars into the wideout off his production. The first two seasons were busts and just when he appeared to get going in 2019 he got hurt. Picking up the fourth-year option seems foolish. Then again, these are the Bengals.
8. Christian McCaffrey
Christian McCaffrey signed a 4-year, $17,241,304 contract with the Carolina Panthers out of Stanford. While many teams are reluctant to sink millions and millions into running backs in the long run, Carolina will undoubtedly make McCaffrey a happy Panther as he is the face and future of the franchise.
7. Mike Williams
Mike Williams signed a 4-year, $19,749,928 contract with the Chargers. After a slow start to his career due to injuries, the Clemson wideout has blossomed. He’s seemingly good for one spectacular grab a week. The only reason to be hesitant if you are the Bolts is Williams can be prone to injury. However, there’s no reason to flirt with watching him eventually star elsewhere.
6. Jamal Adams
Jamal Adams signed a 4-year, $22,258,738 contract with the New York Jets. For some reason, the Jets seemed to flirt with dealing Adams, possibly to Dallas, at the trade deadline. Good thing they did not. Another LSU DB who is a superstar. He’s the heart of Gang Green’s defense and the Jets need to pick up the option and get him signed to a longer deal.
5. Corey Davis
Corey Davis signed a 4-year, $25,394,688 contract with the Tennessee Titans. The WR from Western Michigan has played one full season, 2018, and he had 65 catches. His rookie season and 2019 are not great. The Titans have A.J. Brown now and it appears as if Davis would be at-risk for not getting his option picked up.
4. Leonard Fournette
Leonard Fournette signed a 4-year, $27,150,842 contract with the Jacksonville Jaguars. The running back from LSU is playing like he knows his future is on the line. A strong rookie season, a checkered second year and he is back to performing the way the Jags hoped he would when they took him with this high pick. Surely, they will pick up his option. However, can they bank on him in the long term or will he wander back to 2018?
3. Solomon Thomas
Solomon Thomas signed a 4 year, $28,154,366 contract with the San Francisco 49ers. The defensive lineman from Stanford is a piece to one of the most fierce lines in the NFL. He has started two games in 2019 and the Niners are so stacked they have a big decision to make. The feeling is they will stick by Thomas and pick up his option. The long run is a bigger question.
2. Mitchell Trubisky
The Bears traded up to grab Mitchell Trubisky from UNC in this slot and it has not worked. He’s struggled and continues to struggle. Trubisky signed a 4-year, $29,032,424 contract with the Chicago Bears, Hard to fathom the Bears would want to sink more money into him with the quarterback’s performance to date. A tough decision that actually should be easy. He has not earned a big payday.
1. Myles Garrett
The No. 1 overall pick out of Texas A&M, Myles Garrett signed Myles Garrett signed a 4-year, $30,412,255 contract with the Cleveland Browns. Indefinite suspension aside, the Browns should not have to think long about picking up the fourth-year option on Garrett and finding a way to pay their stellar defensive lineman massive money. One of the better players on the defensive line in the NFL. Cleveland can’t wait for him to be able to play again.
32-21 :: 20-11 :: 10-1
