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The rookie wage scale has helped teams sign their rookie class starting within a week of drafting players. The Atlanta Falcons are no exception.
Falcons signed fifth-rounder Grady Jarrett to $2.527 million deal that includes $247,582 signing bonus
— Aaron Wilson (@RavensInsider) May 8, 2015
The signing bonus should help Jarrett's family after his family home caught fire the day before he was drafted. Jarrett was considered a great value as a fifth round selection, as many projected him to be drafted in day two. In fact, he was considered Pro Football Focus' biggest steal of the ENTIRE 2015 draft.
We’ve seen it over and over again. Height keeps pushing defensive tackles down draft boards despite building evidence against its significance. Aaron Donald, Geno Atkins, Jurrell Casey, and Mike Daniels all got the ‘undersized’ label, but all play among the highest level at their respective positions. Jarrett could very well be the next player added to that list. At 6-foot-1, 304 pounds with short arms, Jarrett’s is built like a cannon ball and plays like one too. No defensive tackle in all of the FBS was more dominant on a per-play basis than Jarrett last season. Finding a player like him in the fifth round is the definition of a ‘steal’.
With rookie salaries predetermined, expect Thomas Dimitroff to get the remaining draft class signed in the next few weeks, if not days.