Phillips Signs Rookie Contract
While they're wrapping up their OTAs this week, the Miami Dolphins have continued the process of getting their draft picks under contracts.
The team announced Wednesday via Twitter it had signed first-round pick Jaelan Phillips, the 18th overall selection in the 2021 NFL draft.
The edge defender from the University of Miami becomes the fourth of seven Dolphins rookie draft picks to be under contract, following fellow first-round pick Jaylen Waddle and seventh-round selections Larnel Coleman and Gerrid Doaks.
Doaks, the running back from the University of Cincinnati, turned 23 on Wednesday. Coleman's 23rd birthday is June 22.
The three remaining 2021 draft picks the Dolphins need to sign are second-round picks Jevon Holland, the safety from Oregon, and Liam Eichenberg, the offensive lineman from Notre Dame, along with third-round selection Hunter Long, the tight end from Boston College.
Because of the rookie wage scale that's been part of the Collective Bargaining Agreement since 2011, getting draft picks under contract isn't nearly as complicated as it once was.
As a point of reference, the Dolphins completed signing their draft class last year on July 22 when they agreed to terms with second-round pick Robert Hunt. In 2019, the Dolphins signed all six of their draft picks by June 14, the last being third-round selection Michael Deiter.
