PHILADELPHIA - The Eagles finished their two-day rookie camp Saturday and already have half of their 10-man draft class under contract with on-field OTAs set to begin later this month.
Fifth-round cornerback Mac McWilliams of Central Florida was the latest to sign his four-year rookie contract on Saturday, a day after fellow fifth-round picks Smael Mondon, a linebacker out of Georgia, and Michigan offensive lineman Myles Hinton agreed to terms Sixth-rounders, quarterback Kyle McCord of Syracuse and Virginia Tech edge rusher Antwuan Powell-Ryland, also signed on Friday.
Mondon was the first rookie draft pick in the entire NFL to sign his deal.
Unlike previous generations, the signing of rookie draft picks is no longer cause for concern. The current Collective Bargaining Agreement largely determines the structure of each pick’s contract, and there’s not much room for negotiation, other than the occasional battle over offset language and the continued push to get fully guaranteed deals as deep as possible in the draft pool.
The Eagles still need to get their top three picks signed: first-round linebacker Jihaad Campbell of Alabama, second-round Texas safety Andrew Mukuba, and fourth-round Nebraska defensive tackle Ty Robinson, as well as fifth-round center Drew Kendall of Boston College, and sixth-round offensive lineman Cameron Williams of Texas.
McWilliams (5-foot-10 and 191 pounds) was the 145th overall pick after starting 11 games for Central Florida last season. He played outside CB at UCF and Alabama-Birmingham but could project inside at the NFL level.
McWilliams told reporters at the start of rookie camp that the Eagles have started him outside the numbers at his more familiar position and will likely build from there.